No Joy for 'Joyland': Why Pakistan has banned its official Oscar-entry

Pakistan has banned the screening of its official Oscar entry film ‘Joyland’ for featuring, what the board called, “highly objectionable material”. In August, the movie was given a green signal by Pakistan’s provincial as well as central boards. However, a complaint put forth by a religious party leader led the central censor board to revoke its previous order and declared the movie ‘ineligible for the whole of Pakistan’. The ban on the movie – which was supposed to release on 18 November – has sparked a debate among dissenters and supporters on social media. Let’s take a closer look at what the controversy is about. Why has Joyland been banned? The plot of the movie is set in Lahore and revolves around a young, married man named Haidar who comes under pressure when Haidar’s sister-in-law to her third girl child. But then he meets a transgender named Biba. Already battling with his own gender identity, Haider falls in love with Biba and changes his life for the good. This love affair is what ticked off some viewers in Pakistan. The notification that was issued on Friday stating the ban said, “Written complaints were received that the film contains highly objectionable material which does not conform with the social values and moral standards of our society.”

Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan from the Jamaat-e-Islami while praising the ban in a tweet said that being an Islamic republic Pakistan must adhere to Islamic values and norms. Even though the senator has not seen the movie but according to Al Jazeera he was informed about the content of the film by “authentic sources”. He said, “I was given information by authentic sources in media that it [the film] has received awards in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) category in Cannes.” “This means, the movie is dealing with a topic that has no place in an Islamic republic like Pakistan,” he added. Khan also objected to the name of the protagonist ‘Haidar’ due to its religious reverence in the country. Branding the film as a trendsetter of “cultural terrorism”, he said, “This is part of a trend of cultural terrorism in Pakistan, which questions our institution of marriage and our cultural norms. This movie is an act of war against them.” Director, cast unhappy with the ban The government’s order has left the director Saim Sadiq disappointed. Soon after the ban was proclaimed, Saim took to Instagram to raise his voice against the decision. He said that he was ‘compelled’ to point out that the decision is “unconstitutional and illegal.” He also urged his followers to join the movement in releasing the movie. “Please help us in by getting our voice to #ReleaseJoyland seen and heard by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.” He tagged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the post.

He added that not every movie out there is to please every viewer. “If you have a problem with a film, you can just choose not to watch it. No film will please all the people, and that’s why we don’t need to take permission from 220 million people to release a film,” said a disgruntled Saim. Meanwhile, the cast of the film has also expressed their frustration. According to a report by The Dawn, Sarwat Gilani, who played one of the main roles in Joyland branded the movie as “a paid smear campaign”. She claimed that Pakistani authorities have acted in response to the pressure created by “some malicious people who have not even seen the film.” Singer Abdullah Siqqiqui, who made music for the movie, said, “They’re doing it again! There are smear campaigns to ban Joyland. A dark day for all artists in Pakistan yet again. We need your support to make sure we don’t let these violent, insensitive, extremists win again.” Global recognition for Joyland Joyland has pleased viewers and critics worldwide. Earlier this year, the film debuted at the coveted Cannes film festival where it was awarded the Jury Prize and the Queer Palm award. Its director Saim Sadiq also won the Young Cinema Award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards held in Australia. The movie won recognition from Nobel Prize winner and education activist Malala Yousafzai who joined the Joyland team as an executive producer to help its promotion. The film joined the Oscars race in September. The film has also been screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival. Prime Minister forms review committee The call against the ban was so strong that it reached the country’s head. The head of Prime Minister’s Strategic Reforms, Salman Sufi announced that Shehbaz Sharif has officially set up a committee to review the ban on Joyland. Sufi made the announcement on his Twitter account on 14 November saying that the prime minister has “constituted a high-level committee to assess the complaints as well as merits to decide on its release in Pakistan.”

PM @CMShehbaz has constituted a high level committee to assess #Joyland and review its ban.

The committee will assess the complaints as well as merits to decide on its release in Pakistan.

Thank you @Marriyum_A for your efforts. #joylandbanned

— Salman Sufi (@SalmanSufi7) November 14, 2022

In the same post, he also mentioned his views on the ban. “I personally do not believe in banning films that highlight issues faced by marginalized segments of our society. People should be trusted to watch & make their own mind.” With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.