Some Joy For Joyland: Pakistan PM To Review Ban Of Oscar-Entry Movie

So many people stood against the ban of the movie Joyland that the country’s head was forced to set up a committee to review the order.

Salman Sufi, the head of Prime Minister’s Strategic Reforms, announced that Shehbaz Sharif has officially set up a committee to look into the ban. He made an announcement on Twitter on November 14 that the PM has “constituted a high-level committee to assess the complaints and merits to decide on its release in Pakistan.”

While mentioning his views on the ban, he said that he personally does not believe in banning films that highlight issues faced by marginalised segments of our society. “People should be trusted to watch and make their own mind.”

I personally do not believe in banning films that highlight issues faced by marginalized segments of our society. People should be trusted to watch & make their own mind.

I will request my friend @Marriyum_A to see if it’s possible to review the ban & meet the team #Joyland

— Salman Sufi (Get New Covid Booster Today) (@SalmanSufi7) November 12, 2022

Why was the movie banned?

Pakistan banned the release of its official Oscar entry film, Joyland, for its “highly objectionable material.” Earlier, the movie was given a green light in August by Pakistan’s provincial and central boards. But, a religious party leader complained against the content of the film, which made the central censor board reverse its decision and declare that the movie was ‘ineligible for the whole of Pakistan’.

The movie was initially meant to release on November 18, but the ban halted the critically-acclaimed film’s opening and has caused a heated debate between the dissenters and supporters on social media.

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The plot that ‘offended’ Islamic values

Set in Lahore, the story revolves around a young, married man named Haidar, who despite the challenges faced due to a patriarchal head of family, falls in love with Biba, an intersex dancer. Battling with his own gender identity, Biba changes his life for good.

This kind of representation of relationships is what fueled a divide among the audience. The notification issued on Friday, announcing the ban, said that written complaints were received that the film includes highly objectionable content which does not conform with the social values and moral standards of our society.

Jamaat-e-Islami’s Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan praised the ban on Twitter and said that Pakistan being an Islamic Republic must follow Islamic values and norms. He has not seen the movie, but according to Al Jazeera he was given information by authentic sources in the media that “it has received awards in the LGBTQ category in Cannes.”

He added, “This means the movie is dealing with a topic that has no place in an Islamic Republic like Pakistan.” Khan objected to the name of the protagonist ‘Haidar’ because of its religious connotations. Branding the film as propagating “cultural terrorism”, he said that the movie sets a trend and questions the institution of marriage and cultural norms. “This movie is an act of war against them.”

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Director, cast left with no joy

Soon after the ban, Saim Sadiq took to Instagram to voice his opinion against the draconian decision. He was ‘compelled’ to say that the decision was “unconstitutional and illegal.”

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A post shared by Saim Sadiq (@saim.sadiq)

He urged his followers to join the #ReleaseJoyland movement to help them get heard by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. He even tagged the Pakistan PM in his post.

Outraged by the decision, he said that “no film will please all the people, and that is why we don’t take permission from 220 million people to release a film.”

The Dawn reported that Sarwat Gilani, who has a pivotal role in the film, branded the ban as “a paid smear campaign”. She claimed that the authorities acted in haste due to pressure created by “some malicious people who have not even seen the film.”

Singer Abdullah Siqqiqui, who produced music for the film said that it is a dark day for all artists in Pakistan yet again. “We need your support to ensure we don’t let these violent, insensitive, extremists win again.”

The movie was awarded the Jury Prize and the Queer Palm award in the Cannes film festival. The director also won the Young Cinema Award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards hosted in Australia. Moreso, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Malala Yousafzai, helped in the movie’s promotion. The film was nominated to the Oscars in September.

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