Celebrity in focus – Mehreen Jabbar

Mehreen Jabbar is a filmmaker, at a very young age, has an extensive portfolio. After directing her first play in 1994 she went on to create work which ranges from short independent art films to commercial serials for television. Her success as a director can be assessed by the fact that her work has appeared in many film festivals around the world including The Hong Kong International Film Festival, The San Francisco Asian-American Film Festival, and The Leeds Film Festival in U. K. to name a few. At home, Pakistan, her exceptional style of story-telling has earned her much praise and several awards.

Mehreen grew up around Pakistan's show business. Her father, Javed Jabbar, is also a filmmaker himself. He has also been running a highly successful advertising agency for about 30 years where she got her first exposure to the television world. Further she went to the United States in order to study film and completed a two year program at University of California Los Angeles. She describes this experience as a crucial part of her training because her teachers were working professionals from the film industry who were able to provide real insights on the art and business of film making.
Mehreen returned to Pakistan to practice her skills professionally. Her first play in 1994 was called “Nivala” which was based on a short story by Ismat Chugtai, one of the foremost authors in the Urdu language. Unfortunately, the decision makers at the state run television of that time declined from airing “Nivala” because it was based on the work of an Indian writer and, subsequently, the idea for the entire series was cancelled. Though this was a hinder but it did not deter Mehreen from doing what she loves. She continued to make short films, feature length plays, and drama serials.
Due to the low quality of films being produced in Pakistan and the shady atmosphere at cinema houses, going to a theater is not a feasible form of entertainment for the mainstream public. Thus, television remains by and far the most popular source of family entertainment. So that has been the industry to which vast majority of writers, producers, directors, as well as, actors turn who wish to polish their expertise and create work with depth and meaning for the audience.

Much of Mehreen’s work has focused on the everyday lives of average Pakistani women and the conflicts they experience from day to day. On the other hand, several directors have created fine plays which are obvious in their attempts to raise awareness of women's rights; Mehreen enjoys the challenge of applying nicety to get her message across. Her viewers often find themselves immersed in the minds of her characters in order to fully understand the characters’ motives. Her telefilm, “Putli Ghar”’ is an example of such work. Another telefilm “Farar” is about three friends, a widow, a working woman, and a third woman who is a student of classical dance. The play shows the struggle of each woman to sort out her life and find a unique identity for herself.

To Mehreen experimenting with a story is one of the most interesting parts of creating a play. She believes that producers are playing it safe and are flat to take on projects which are based on a proven storyline for success. The result is that the same basic plot is repeated over and over again in different plays or films such as - Ramchand Pakistani.

Nevertheless, commercial Pakistani films remain largely unpopular on the conventional side; hence several independent filmmakers have emerged in recent years, such as, Shireen Pasha, Farjad Nabi, Hassan Zaidi, and Mehreen Jabbar herself, who seem to be breathing a new life into the Pakistani art films.

Crisis in Pakistani cinema -Film Industry

The Pakistani film industry named as “Lollywood” after Hollywood & Bollywood gain recognition have been in crisis for nearly a decade. Many cinemas had closed down. Their number came down from nearly thousands to hundreds. The remaining too had few films to show as the local film industry was not producing quality films and these too were few in number. The result was that cinema going culture almost vanished. In the last one year about 17 Indian films were released. Though most failed to do any boisterous business but still the cinema industry got lot of support. On the other hand the film industry crisis is likely to deepen as the local investors are showing reluctance to fund any major film. The Indian films dominate at the Pakistani box office. 

No one is interested in saving the Pakistani film industry. They want to make money only even by exhibiting Indian films. The government has opened doors for the Indian film industry but did nothing to save the local film industry. The local film industry is likely to collapse in view of the fact that we do not have resources to match the Indian films budget. The government should first have boosted its own industry before opening doors for Indians.
Although the Pakistani films story lines all are original but Indian plagiarized is beating Pakistani cinemas. Moreover, a movie song which is a focal point of a successful film is being ignored here in Pakistan. Its fact that dance is not allowed in Islam but as people is doing it here too as a profession than there must be dancing schools to groom our expected filmy heroes & heroines.

Government of Pakistan should maintain a rule & regulation list for upcoming talented people of Pakistan in every field so in Film industry too. They should first serve their own country from they too belong. It’s not a good sign for a patriotic nation to do all good stuff for others. All wise fellows will agree to me.

The 60s and 70s better known as “The Golden era of Pakistani cinema” & the heydays when first-class movies were produced at that time “Lollywood” was not only a source of pride but was also a reservoir of pure delight and pleasure for its viewers. It is during this era that the Pakistani film industry was commended for having produced some of the most memorable and recognized films such as Armaan and Teri Yaad.

Names like Waheed Murad, Nadeem and Muhammad Ali managed to change the face of cinema and earn the status of living legends. Even today these names are alive in the hearts of all, so much so that a simple mention of these names is enough to take someone down memory lane and bring a smile to their face. It is Lollywood glorious past that has kept cinema kicking and going and the faith of the people that has enabled it to survive all these years. The masses still believe that cinema has more to offer and that it will soon reach its true potential and deliver quality productions it once boasted.