THE MOONRISE REVIEW
Film Review — Zindagi Tamasha। زندگی تماشہ । जिंदगी तमाशा
When a filmmaker decides to free his art.
Directed by the acclaimed Pakistani filmmaker Sarmad Khoosat, ‘Zindagi Tamasha’ was premiered at the 24th Busan International Film Festival. Zindagi Tamasha was also selected as Pakistan’s entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards. After delays, the film-maker set his film free and decided to release it on YouTube and Vimeo.
I remember watching ‘Chhello Show’ (transl. Last Film Show, available on Netflix), which follows the adventures of nine-year-old Samay from Chalala, a village in Saurashtra, Gujarat, India, who spends an entire summer watching films from the projection booth of a rundown movie place. He is absolutely mesmerized by films and filmmaking, to the point that he decides to become a filmmaker.
A similar magic is created by actor-director Sarmad Khoosat in his film Zindagi Tamasha (transl. Circus of Life), who has the same wonder and love for making films. The film takes us through the life of Rahat Khwaja, who is a devout Muslim, a good husband taking care of his bedridden wife, a good father, and a good sociable man.
He is respected for his recitals in Praise of the Lord. There is a catch though — he is also a simple man who enjoys watching movies, singing, and dancing.
Like many of us, he enjoyed life’s simple pleasures. However, societal pressure told him ‘‘it is not the right thing to do for a person like you.’’
But who does it hurt when an old man dances his heart out in the presence of his friends? Rahat is vulnerable after being rejected by the society that he has served all his life. His much-loved Eid offerings are rejected. The doors are closed on his face. He is called names, mocked, and disrespected.
The only way to redeem this is with an apology for all that he did and all that he didn’t. And a prayer for the destruction of faraway lands to appease those for whom hate and boundaries matter the most.
Dance, music, and literature are inherent parts of our lives, especially in South Asia. As Khwaja said, ‘it (the dance) just flows on its own’. This land has produced Shahakars, the epitome of art. From Maharaj Ghulam Hussain to Yamini Krishnamurthy, who spread the magic of dance in the hearts of millions who continue to watch them and try to dance along to their beats.
Rahaj Khawaja was a very common man, and he was hurt when his own daughter questioned his respect. His daughter and son-in-law are upset and hostile due to this ‘misdeed’. His wife, the only person who supported him, dies, feeling the pain and helplessness of this situation.
We feel his pain as he is socially cornered. The film makes it feel as if we are standing next to him, watching the story unfold. Emotions are raw and blunt; the camera follows him as he walks and cries, becomes hopeless, and grieves.
And that is how his life becomes a circus, with himself as the only audience and the trickster. He sees himself mocked harshly.
As the film closes, he realizes that he doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone.
Faiz Ahmed Faiz said in his famous Nazm ‘Bol/बोल/بول ’ —
बोल कि लब आज़ाद हैं तेरे /بول، کہ لب آزاد ہیں تیرے
बोल ज़बाँ अब तक तेरी है/بول، زباں اب تک تیری ہے
Speak that your lips are free
your tongue your own
बोल कि सच ज़िंदा है अब तक/ بول، کہ سچ زندہ ہے اب تک
बोल जो कुछ कहना है कह ले/ بول، جو کچھ کہنا ہے کہہ لے
Speak, for the truth is alive
say whatever it is that you have to say.
Zindagi Tamasha is a courageous film that follows in the footsteps of Faiz’s Nazm in its exploration of the themes of personal freedom and self-acceptance through its courageous storytelling.
The film reveals how some sections of the society consider dance and music a sin. Art is associated with femininity and is therefore associated with weakness. A frustrated Rahat Khwaja rips apart posters which tell men to not be ‘weak’ like him.
The film with its brilliant performances and great music brings in a kaleidoscope of emotions and a wave of hard hitting, bitter truth.
For Sarmad Khoosat, the director, the release of Zindagi Tamasha is a weight off his back. “This film had to be delivered. It was weighing heavy on me.”
“Let it be a gift, a moment of me setting it free. The movie has its own wings. I’ll let it fly now”, he added.
The film had a worldwide digital release on YouTube and Vimeo on 4 August 2023.
