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Pakistani youth film in trouble
A bunch of rich, young, bored youngsters from Islamabad try to live a celluloid life. What happens next? Well, they run into censor trouble!
A bunch of rich, young, bored youngsters from Islamabad try to live a celluloid life. What happens next? Well, they run into censor trouble! Slackistan, a Pakistani film based on the coming of age of the urban youth in the country, has been reportedly banned by Pakistan’s Central Board of Film Censors, on grounds of ‘objectionable’ content.
The board has warned the film’s director, Hammad Khan, that unless he makes extensive cuts, the movie won’t make it to theatres in the country. That’s not all. Even after these cuts, the film will only get an ‘A’ certificate, which means the target audience — teenagers — will not be able to watch it.
The ‘controversial’ parts — usage of the words “Taliban”, “lesbian”, swear words in English and Urdu, scenes showing characters drinking (fake alcohol for the filming, incidentally) and a joke about beards (as in, “my beard is longer than your beard”).
Fans of the the film, which has already drawn crowds at film festivals in New York, London and Goa, are calling the ban “outrageous” and “unacceptable” on the movie’s Facebook page, which has over 10,000 members.
The Guardian
