Thread by @Shehzad89

Zindagi Tamasha: Of Narrow Lanes and Narrower mindsets

A video goes viral, is taken out of context, the man behind it is threatened and his life turns upside down, this is the story of Zindagi Tamasha, and the story of Sarmad Khoosat trying to release Zindagi Tamasha.

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They do say life imitates art.

The Youtube version may begin with a bittersweet message from the creator but once the movie starts, you forget about the controversies, and Sarmad's Magnum Opus takes center stage.

Whereas Joyland takes you inside the world of the characters in a deep character study, Zindagi Tamasha often leaves the viewer on the outside looking in, a voyeuristic look at the protagonists, the camera mimics the main plot line of the story,

which is people seeing a video the protagonist did not want us to see.

The lives of these people is often shot through window frames, wires, door panes, and even a bird cage, making the audience feel as caged as the characters in this world,

where a momentary expression of joy can ruin your life, and those of your loved ones, forever.

The banning of Zindagi Tamasha is more evidence of how we are made to feel so guilty, and labelled with insults, just for our creative expression,

so much so that just a mere "nara", or an allegation, is enough to enforce silence, as we all know the price of speaking up.

Arif Hasan as Rahat Khawaja puts in a phenomenal performance as the protagonist, his body language fatigues as he grows more defeated,

shrinking into himself by the end.

The heart of the movie is his relationship with his wife Farkhanda, played by the ethereal Samiya Mumtaz. The bond they share as the world turns against them is the soul of the movie.

The DOP, Khizeer Idrees, and the Art Director, Ahmed Shah, truly do some masterful work, the frames are poetry in motion. The Colorist, Fatimah Sattar, deserves a shout out here as well. The entire Sound team equally brings their A game.

At the end of the day, it is us who miss out on this audio-visual experience in the theaters as it was meant to be watched. Sarmad Khoosat weaves so much of the narrative in silences, montages, and walks through the neighbourhoods,

the gravity of those moments may be lost consuming this cinematic masterpiece on a tiny screen.

At the end of the day, what you take away from Zindagi Tamasha will say as much about you as it does about the movie. Movies are not meant to preach, they are meant to explore.

Zindagi Tamasha is as much about the perils of social media, art, family, love, marriage, and freedom of expression, as it is about religion, repression, and isolation.

Zindagi Tamasha is the story of a man who wanted to express himself, and the price he paid for it,

it is rather unfortunate that that has also become the story of Sarmad Khoosat.

Please support this movie however you can, Sarmad Khoosat's love for Cinema, and his desire to share his work with the world despite however many times the world tries pulling him down.

deserves nothing but love, admiration and respect.

You can watch the movie on the Khoosat Films YouTube channel.