Tuesday, 14.09.2010, By: Sher Alam Shinwari Pashto film industry or Pollywood as it is now called has witnessed many ups and down since its inception in early 70s.In fact Pashto cinema has a history older than Pakistan itself. Amir Hamza Khan Shinwari (1907-1994) popularly known as Baba-e-Pashto ghazal had written the story of first ever Pashto movie ‘Laila Majnoon’ which was released in 1941 in Mumbai and Pashto speaking areas before partition. Rafiq Ghaznavi the grandfather of Salma Agha had played the lead role. The audio spools of its songs are still available. After partition ‘Yousaf Khan Shehr Bano’ maiden Pashto film was a mega hit, its storyline based on an imaginary romantic tale was penned down by an eminent folk Pashto poet ‘Ali Haider Joshi (1914-2004). The legendary movie was produced in December 1969 and released in January 1970. Super stars Badar Munir and Yasmin Khan played the role of hero and heroine respectively. Thus in the beginning senior Pashto poets who were enjoying widespread fame got affiliated with Pashto film industry with the basic aim to depict Pashtun society in its true colours, highlight its centuries old golden traditions, its romantic aspirations blended with chivalry and not just violent vandalism, obscenity, vulgarity and firebrand dialogues which later became the trade mark of the so called Pashto flicks. Experts believe that the early 70s and 80s were the golden era of the pollywood. The cinebuffs still fondly remember the storylines, songs and purposeful dialogues of the Pashto movies produced in that era. Murad Baba an octogenarian popular song and scriptwriter of Pashto films who has so far composed 2000 songs and scripted 100 Pashto movies many of which like Orbal, Naway Da Yuway Shpey, Juram Auo Saza and Bungaree Auo Hatkaray made huge business tells this scribe, ´´Many senior writers like me had joined Pashto film industry in early 70s with a purpose in mind to promote Pashtun art and culture on big screen and to a great extent we did succeed in our job but unfortunately, during the late 80s and early 90s some vested interests plagued the pure artistic environment of the industry and began to present a distorted image of Pashtun society that forced us to say goodbye to it forever. We raised our voice against it on many forums but nobody listened to us, the result was a decline and bad name to Pashtuns at large.´´ He adds Pashto movies were so popular that not only it would be run in Khyber Pakhtnkhwa, Quetta and Karachi but also its reels used to be smuggled to Kabul and some even would take it to Germany and Gulf countries. ´´Vocal of one song would take us sometime a week, now a- days the standard of everything in movie making has dwindled to the extent that a full flick could be made just in a whiff of time, is this going to inspire our young generation to achieve high national goals or exhibit moral integration ?,” Murad questions. ‘Absence of modern day facilities like fast sound track, digital cameras and other paraphernalia were not obstacles in making a super duper hit movies. Most classics Pashto flicks like Deedan, Kochwaan, Insaaf, Adam Khan Durkhanai, Dara-e- Khyber,Ilaqaghair, Zartaja, Ajab Khan Afridi, Topak Zama Qanoon, Ilzaam and Armaan were produced in Black and Whilte era, he recalls. From 2000 onwards Pashto film industry took a new turn when Arbaz Khan the son of Asif Khan once the super star of Pollywood made his debut in Meena Qurbanee Ghawaree (Love demands sacrifice) in 2003. It set the tone for the future film making in Pashto showing signs of slow revival of the industry. At times Pollywood was the only industry that even surpassed Urdu and Punjabi, in 2009 Lollywood could release eight Urdu and five Punjabi flicks while Pollywood produced 15 movies. However, Ajab Gul actor/director cum producer paints a dismal picture, he says, ´´I suffered huge financial loss in my own three productions last year because of bomb blasts and growing militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, also Pollywood is facing another threat and that is fast razing down of cinema theaters in the province. I am releasing only one new run Jaal on the coming Eid which will be exhibited in Khyber Pakhunkhwa, Karachi, Kabul and Dubai, it has mega casts including myself , Dua Qureshi, Umar Daraz, Tariq Jamal, Javed Babar while Jamil Babar a senior seasoned artiste is staging a comeback after almost a decade”. Gul further says that Producers are taking great risk because the production costs are rocket sky owing to high inflation, an average Pashto movie costs Rs 7 to 8 million. I want to change the entire landscape of the Pollywood but my own kitty does not allow me to do it, I need government and public support.” The MMA government an alliance of nine religious parties in the erstwhile NWFP imposed ban on all kinds of cultural activities during their tenure. They closed down the lone theartre Nishtar Hall in Peshawar city and clamped ban on film billboards and posters due to which Pashto cinema witnessed another shock which reduced the pace of its spiral journey. Currently there are ten Cinetheatres in Peshawar, four in Nowshera, two each in Mardan and Bannu and one each in Swat and Kohat. A total of five Pashto new runs will come out on the Pashto Silver Screen this Eid. Ajab Gul says he has requested to the Khyber Pakhtnkhwa government to allot him a piece of land in Peshawar where he could erect a Cineplex out of his own resources. Syed Aqil Shah Provincial Minister for Culture, Sports and Tourism in his comments on demolition of Cinema Houses remarks, ´´Cinegoing is a cheaper entertainment and we don’t want public being deprived of this. Any attempt at damaging or razing of the cinetheatre comes under the Heritage Act and I have recently stopped demolition of the Capital cinema in Saddar Bazaar, some Cinetheatres were razed down before our government came into power but now no such thing will happen.” A spokesman of Shahid Film Productions fears low turn out of the cinegoers because of recent devastating flash floods that wreaked havoc on people’s lives in the country especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. ´´Cinema business is already running into great financial crunch due to militancy, floods added fuel to the fire. The government should withdraw all taxes to reduce the losses of the owners,´´ he suggests. Muzaffar a teleflim director in Peshawar reports that more than 100 CD new Pashto flicks will also come out on the market while similar number of audio albums too will make a zoom in despite the fact that there is no official patronage or encouragement. From the whole discussion one can draw a conclusion that complete revival of the Pollywood in the prevailing situation seems a far fetched cry. Many experts see good prospects for Pollywood in Afghanistan. However, Ajab Gul sees a ray of hope, ´´I believe there is great potential in Pashto cinema, and it can rise on its own feet once the government takes proper initiatives.”´ - بېرته شاته