Filmmaker Sarmad Khoosat has confirmed that the release of his film ‘Zindagi Tamasha’ has been postponed once again, after the film was finally slated for release in Pakistan this month.
The filmmaker did not disclose why the film was delayed, but said that it will ‘come out soon’.
The movie was originally scheduled to debut in January 2020, but was first censured after the Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) called for protests against its release, alleging the film was ‘blasphemous.’ Although the Senate Committee for Human Rights had approved the film’s screening, it has not gotten a public screening in Pakistan to date.
Starring Arif Hassan, Eman Suleman, Samiya Mumtaz and Ali Kureshi, the film follows the travails of a naat Khawaan (a person who recites religious poetry) named Rahat – a devout Muslim beloved by his community. However, after a video of him goes viral, he loses the support of his community, bringing shame to himself and his family.
Despite its delayed release in Pakistan, the movie has garnered international acclaim. In 2019, it premiered at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, where it was the first Pakistani film to win the prestigious Kim Ji-Seok Award. Later, it won the Snow Leopard Award for Best Film at the 6th Asian World Film Festival in 2021. The film was also Pakistan’s official film entry in the International Feature Film Award category for the Academy Awards in 2020, despite never having been shown in the country.
The film is not alone in its ongoing battle with the censorship board. Earlier this year, the release of ‘Javed Iqbal: Untold Story Of A Serial Killer‘ was halted by the Punjab censorship board ‘in the wake of persistent complaints’ after the film had already premiered in Karachi.
