Most Pakistanis know Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy as the woman who brought the Oscar home. Her short documentary, Saving Face (2012) – which shows a Pakistani-British plastic surgeon, Dr. Mohammad Jawad, making a journey to Pakistan in order to perform reconstructive surgery on acid-attack survivors – was a voice raised against acid violence, urging Pakistan’s government to take constitutional steps towards the eradication of this particularly common form of violence against women. When Saving Face won the Academy Award in the Best Documentary (Short Subject) category – it had also formerly won the Emmy Award – many Pakistanis argued that it portrayed a negative picture of Pakistan in the international community. The truth is, the documentary threw light upon a subject that should have been discussed a long time ago – something of a trend when it comes to Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
An alumni of Smith College – a liberal arts institute based in Massachusetts, U.S. – Obaid-Chinoy has produced many short documentaries in the past, mostly on topics not discussed in the mainstream, starting with Terror’s Children in 2003. Terror’s Children follows eight Afghan refugee children living in Karachi and explores their lives which they spend either at Afghan refugee camps, in madrassas or beside garbage dumps – anywhere they can find refuge. Like all of Sharmeen’s works, Terror’s Children uses first-hand knowledge, filmed on tape and presented before viewers to see for themselves what these young refugees’ lives are like.
Obaid-Chinoy with her hard-earned Livingston Award for Young Journalists
Saving Face threw light on a subject that should have been discussed long ago
Subsequent documentaries produced by Ms. Obaid-Chinoy saw her giving coverage to many lives that deserved to be noticed and honoured, as in the case of Humaira: The Dream Catcher (2013) which follows Humaira Bachal, a woman living in Karachi who educated 1200 children for the fee of one rupee per day. Sharmeen’s journey as an investigative journalist also saw her explore the lives of the victimized and oppressed – such as in Lifting the Veil (2007), which looks at the lives of Afghani women under U.S. occupation; and in Transgenders: Pakistan’s Open Secret (2011) that tells the story of three Pakistani transgenders, each living a different life, and each having dreams and passions that have nothing to do with their existing occupations. It clearly is Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s passion to give voice to those whose voices have been hushed by society or global politics.
One recurring feature of her productions is the effect of terrorism, war and political turmoil on common citizens
The one major recurring feature of Obaid-Chinoy’s productions is the effect of terrorism, war and political turmoil on the lives of common citizens – especially children. Her documentaries Iraq: The Lost Generation (2008)and Children of the Taliban (2009), explore the lives of the generations that grew up in countries torn apart by war and terrorism. The Pakistani journalist’s area of coverage is not restricted to the Middle East and South Asia alone, her passion and drive to discover and spread the word of truth has taken her to South Africa, where she produced The New Apartheid (2006) and to Indonesia, where she filmed Birth of a Nation (2007) – each of them seeking to explore the various realities of contemporary war, terrorism, oppression and rebellion.
So what is it that made this producer of serious documentaries turn to animation?
Saving Face (2012) was the documentary that won Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy the Oscar
Enter: 3 Bahadur
The recently-released 3D animated feature-film – Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s first children’s movie – has already made its mark in its short life, with people flocking with their children to the theatres to watch the Urdu-language production. 3 Bahadur tells the story of three eleven-year-old children – Amna, Kamil and Saadi – who live in a town named Roshan Basti, which is controlled by an evil man with superpowers, Mangu. Soon afterwards, Amna, Kamil and Saadi are granted superpowers by Uncle Deenu, following which they lock horns with the mighty and malicious Mangu, himself.
3 Bahadur’s animation is commendable, especially Waadi Animations’ – the movie’s animators – efforts to give due attention to detail. The experience of watching 3 Bahadur is extremely special, because – for the first time ever – an animated feature looks, feels and sounds truly like home.
But this is all that appears on the surface – remember, viewers only get to see the end product of an entire productive effort. What goes into the making of a film – when and by whom the idea was conceived, how much effort went into the production, and how close the film is to the producers’ heart – is something only the person on the other side of the cinema screen can tell us. Which is why we caught up with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the producer, director and writer of 3 Bahadur, herself.
Poster of 3 Bahadur
The Interview
It would not be wrong to say that 3 Bahadur was one of the most highly anticipated of Pakistan’s recent film productions. How good was the response that the animated movie received; was it as good as was expected?
When we started the project 3 years ago, we weren’t sure how the material would be received. But we held numerous focus sessions with children between the ages of 6 to 16 years, boys and girls, across socio-economic divisions and we fine-tuned our script according to their feedback.
3 Bahadur released last weekend and we are amazed by the response from all quarters, from politicians to actors, designers and writers, they have all taken to social media to support the launch of the film. The reviews in newspapers and magazines have also been tremendous and we are excited to see it come alive.
"Urdu seemed like the most natural choice of language"
This is because 3 Bahadur is a quintessentially Pakistani story we feel, which provides quality entertainment for the whole family. Children are mesmerized by unlikely superheroes, menacing villains, and fumbling thugs and parents are able to relate to the everyday issues faced by the characters.
After producing serious, adult documentaries like your Academy Award-winning Saving Face and Emmy Award-winning Pakistan: Children of the Taliban, how hard – or easy – was it for you to produce an animated movie, whose audience was mostly – although not restricted to – children?
The switch to animation happened organically; I wanted to create content for children because I felt that we were not producing quality programming for this demographic even though we have such a young population. An overwhelming amount of our fictional heroes and mentors for the youth are imported, and I felt that we needed our own icons to look up to. After experimenting with many mediums, we settled on animation because it offered us the most creative freedom and was a challenging yet thoroughly enjoyable process. We were also lucky to find an exceptional animation team, and thus, 3 Bahadur came to life!
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy with popstar Madonna and Karachi-based educationist, Humaira Bachal at a Chime For Change event
If I understand correctly, most of your research work, encapsulated in the form of short documentaries, explored the effects of war and political turmoil on the lives of children. Did your study on the topic help – or even direct – you into make a movie like 3 Bahadur, in which three extraordinary eleven-year-olds are shown to fight an unjust society?
During the shooting of many of my documentaries, there were times when I felt overwhelmed and disheartened by the atrocities around us but I found hope in my subjects. I was inspired by the stories of survivors and it instilled me with a sense of purpose. This is why it was very important for me to make a film like 3 Bahadur for Pakistani children. On the surface 3 Bahadur might appear to be about superheroes and mystical creatures, but underneath that commercial cartoon value is a force that seeks to engage, empower and motivate today’s youth. The film is a journey of fighting back, taking charge, and finding support and love in the most improbable of places.
"I want to inspire young girls and make them realize that they have power to lead"
It was interesting, and certainly refreshing, to note that you included one female character in your leads. How far do you think the creation of such characters would inspire Pakistani girls into fighting the injustice that undoubtedly prevails in most sectors of our society?
The character of Amna has a special place in my heart. Amna has the power of super speed. As she runs very fast you will often find her rescuing her two friends, Saadi and Kamil, and taking the lead in difficult circumstances. This was done intentionally – for me running is associated with freedom. I want to inspire young girls and make them realize that they have power to take the lead and be in control of their own lives.
I, personally, really appreciate the fact that you chose Urdu as the language for 3 Bahadur, since the animated film industry is overwhelmingly dominated by English language productions. 3 Bahadur gave a chance to children who do not have a strong grasp of the English language, to truly enjoy an animated movie – so, thank you, for that. But did you at any point consider switching the linguistic medium to English, in order to garner more international viewership?
3 Bahadur was first and foremost made for Pakistani children. I want Pakistani children to finally be able to see their reflection in movies, with superheroes that look and speak like them – and for this reason, Urdu seemed like the most natural choice of language. In a world of Doras, Ben 10s and Chota Bheems, we are giving our children local mentors and heroes to look up to.
We are in the process of finalizing international distribution in other countries. International release will take place in the fall of this year and it will be subtitled in English
How was the experience of making an animated movie; with the entire production team and the young voice artists who leant their voices to the main characters? Would you be doing this again? (I certainly hope you do)
Animated films, and filmmaking in general, are a collaborative process. When we started working on 3 Bahadur back in summer of 2012, it was an uphill climb - putting together a team, learning how animation works from the initial sketch to the final shot, and diving into a medium that is both expensive and time consuming. What surprised me was the ease with which we found exceptional illustrators, writers, animators and visual effect artists and, with their help, we found our pace a few months into the project. We have supported each other throughout this process, and it is our passion that has taken us this far.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy with the Emmy Award
"3 Bahadur is a quintessentially Pakistani story"
In terms of cast, my team and I went over a number of options and conducted many auditions to an effort to find the right fit. It was such a thrill to find the voices for different characters in the film! Our heroes are played by child actors Zuhab Khan, Muneeba Yaseen and Hanzala Shahid. Children will be enthralled by our villains played by Alyy Khan and Khaled Ahmed. Deenu, one of our main characters, is played by Behroze Sabzwari whose infamous voice will keep children chuckling till the end.
Seeing the characters that had only existed in static images come to life with their own quirks and mannerisms was an incredible experience and we are already on a part two of 3 Bahadur!
There is a range of comic strips produced by the 3 Bahadur team, which children can enjoy reading
What is it that made this producer of serious documentaries turn to animation?
How would you rate the work of Waadi Animations? How far do you think Pakistan is from producing something at par with the work of Disney and Pixar? (I understand that this is Pakistan’s first ever animated feature and nobody expected it to compete with the likes of Disney and Pixar; this question is just to measure Pakistan’s progress in this unchartered territory).
Animation in Pakistan is still in its infancy. Unfortunately, unlike films, the amount you spend is directly related to the quality that you can achieve. Pakistani animators are skilled enough to produce content that mirrors Pixar in terms of quality, but you need the budgets and timelines that will support such work. We haven’t done our animators justice in this country, and have not given them the space and resources required to show off just how talented they are. We have all the ingredients to one day be a nation that produces multiple animated films every year, and I am certain that 3 Bahadur will play its own small role in expanding the industry and getting more people interested in what animation has to offer.
Thank you, Sharmeen, for giving Pakistani children the movie they waited so long for; and for giving an underrated industry the hope that it can, one day, make it big – not only in Pakistan, but across the globe.
