KARACHI: A Pakistani film based on a true story of a serial killer from Lahore has been entering festivals and winning awards, but its director and cast say it is unlikely that “Javed Iqbal” would release at home, where it was banned earlier this year.
“Javed Iqbal: An Untold Story of a Serial Killer” is based on the life of a murderer who was convicted of kidnapping, sexually abusing and killing more than 100 children in Lahore in the 1990s. He was sentenced to death by a Pakistani court in March 2000, and committed suicide before the verdict was executed.
Written and directed by Abu Aleeha, the film stars Yasir Hussain as the main character and Ayesha Omar as a police officer. It premiered in Karachi in January this year, but before its release was banned by the Central Board of Film Censors.
Despite the setbacks at home, the movie made it to the UK Asian Film Festival in May, where it picked up two trophies: for the best Actor and best director. In September it will be screened at the Berlin International Art Film Festival.
“We were heartbroken and bumped when we learnt about the ban,” Omar told Arab News on Friday. “We felt that the story needs to be told. We definitely need to talk about taboo subjects that are so important. It is based on true events. We should let people decide if they want to watch it.”
Aleeha said that while they were willing to cut scenes and dialogue to meet the censor’s requirements, they “cannot reshoot the film.”
“I don’t see any possibility of the film releasing in Pakistan unless we opt for a war,” he added.
When the film was announced, it immediately attracted criticism in Pakistan, and according to Umar Khitab Khan, the distributor who has got rights for the film’s release worldwide, the reason Pakistani authorities cited while banning the movie was that “the public had raised some concerns.”
Movie critics like Kamran Jawaid do not agree with the concerns.
“As far as my opinion goes, I don’t think there was anything wrong with the film. Given the subject matter, it was pretty tame — there was nothing sensational about it,” he told Arab News, adding that the banning of the film could be justified had it stirred a public outcry.
“But if the film did not make it to cinemas and it was called back without an audience uproar,” he said. “That means there is a bit of a problem in the censor board, which either bowed to the pressure or did not actually think it through while awarding the censor certificate.”
