HAVING opened his eyes in a family of religious scholars, “it was impossible to watch movies in my early days,” recalls writer, humorist, playwright and columnist Ataul Haq Qasmi in his characteristically jovial manner. “The credit for introducing me to the glittering world of cinema goes to my elder brother Ziaul Haq Qasmi, who had come to Lahore from Wazirabad to take up a job here. It was with him that I first watched a movie,” he adds.
Once the ice was broken, there was no going back, and he started watching movies avidly. In his college days, he was a regular at the matinee show at noon with friends. He fondly remembers those days when the group used to make all kinds of efforts to obtain tickets for the first show of films.
A particular film by Dustin Hoffman, whose name he says he does not remember, greatly appealed to him. “It was about a boy who comes to New York from a village. That boy was especially enthusiastic about it because he had heard a lot about its night life. The film was splendid and left a lasting impact on me,” he says.
As regards the local film industry, he says it is in a shambles because of poor stories and inefficient directors. In the past, they made some excellent movies like Neend and Intizar.
“Intizar is one of my favourite films because of the unparalleled music rendered by the great Khwaja Khursheed Anwer.” But if he is shortlist his favourite movies down to one, it has to be a Bollywood flick, Warasat. “It has a lively music and the acting of Amresh Puri and Aneel Kapoor is simply majestic,” he explains.
Commenting on the present film scenario of our own industry, he strongly criticizes the role of the censor board. Having been a member of the board, he says he is better able to analyze its performance. He is pained to see that films with a lot of violence are routinely passed by the board without any objection.
To boost our film industry, the ban on Indian movies should be lifted, he argues, because this will help our decadent industry. “If the government lifts the ban, there would be a healthy competition between the local and Indian films, and it will recuperate our ailing industry,” he says in a matter of fact tone.
Coming to music, Ataul Haq Qasmi likes both pop and classical, and that has always been the case him. He likes Abrarul Haq from among the present lot, but his love for him is not at the cost of classical numbers. “I usually listen to the pop music due to its beat, but the problem with this type of music is that it becomes stale after some time. The classical music, on the other hand, is always a treat to listen to.” He holds famed composer and musician Khwaja Khursheed Anwer in high esteem, and calls him an “amazing composer”. A voracious reader, Qasmi started reading books while he was very young. In his student days, his favourites were Naseem Hijazi and Ibn-e-Safi. “Critics have been quite biased regarding Hijazi and Safi. As a result of this, both these writers have not been given their due place in our literature. They were master craftsmen and to this day I return to their work,” says the celebrated humourist. By the time he had reached college, his taste had graduated to Manto, Bedi, Krishan Chander and a host of other writers.
Russian literature has also been his passion, with Tolstoy being the one who impressed him the most. Also among his list of favourites is Aakhr-e-Shab Ke Humsafar, by Qurratulain Haider, whose books he read “quite late in life”. But what about the most favourite work? “It is Aab-e-Gum, by Mushtaq Ahmad Yousufi. I go through it again and again, and find it refreshing every time.”
The genre of humour, he regrets, is in a dismal state in the country. There are a few who have shown promise, but they have to go a long way before establishing themselves. And that is an uncertain path, he warns.
FAVOURITE FILM: Warasat
FAVOURITE MUSIC: All songs of film Intizar
FAVOURITE BOOK: Aab-e-Gum by Mushtaq Ahmad Yousifi.
HAVING opened his eyes in a family of religious scholars, “it was impossible to watch movies in my early days,” recalls writer, humorist, playwright and columnist Ataul Haq Qasmi in his characteristically jovial manner. “The credit for introducing me to the glittering world of cinema goes to my elder brother Ziaul Haq Qasmi, who had come to Lahore from Wazirabad to take up a job here. It was with him that I first watched a movie,” he adds.
