Pakistani Cinema through a Transitional Lens by Dr Erum Hafeez LOLLYWOOD - PAKISTANI CINEMA THROUGH A TRANSITIONAL LENS Dr Erum Hafeez Aslam ABSTRACT The 68-year long history of Pakistani films has had its story of successes and failures. It has been a long time since films, as an industry and medium, have been struggling to carve a niche for themselves. Recuperating from the blow of partition, films produced in Pakistan indicate that despite all odds, the local film industry has a lot of talent in every area of production: be it actors, directors, technicians, poets or script writers. Yet, for some reasons, successful combinations have not been able to sustain themselves long enough to contribute significantly. As a consequence, we have only been exposed to a few glimpses of rare productions. The objective of this study is to archive the historical evolution of Pakistani Cinema and give an overview of the factors that are supposedly contribute to the rise and fall of the local film industry in different eras. This study follows the two-pronged approach. Both Qualitative Content Analysis and Literature Review are used as the methods of research. Firstly, five top grossing Pakistani films are sampled and content analyzed through popularity charts from each of the six decades under study. Subsequently, relevant literature, including newspapers and magazines articles, reviews and books are referred through online database to complement the analysis of the films. Convenient random sampling technique is used for the selection of the mainstream literature, reviewed. It is evident from the study that the lack of vibrant ideas, repetitive themes, absence of modern facilities, industry's infighting besides illegal screening of Indian films on cable, new electronic channels and availability of pirated foreign films have led to the downfall of the Pakistani film industry. The study recommends that Lollywood should explore the niche market and develop itself on its cultural strength. The current boom of the Pakistani cinema demands a multifaceted approach to improve simultaneously quality, quantity and economics of the situation. KEY WORDS Lollywood, Pakistani Cinema, Historical Evolution, Film Industry, Different Eras. 1
Pakistani Cinema through a Transitional Lens by Dr Erum Hafeez INTRODUCTION Lollywood is the term coined after Bollywood and Hollywood that represents Pakistani Film Industry. It is considered the hub of feature films, mostly produced in Urdu besides regional languages. Till 1971, Pakistani film industry had three film making centers viz., Dhaka, Karachi and Lahore. However, after the fall of Dhaka, it lost one of its key production hubs which further confined to Lahore during 1980s in the martial law regime. It is the same time period when Pakistani cinema lost its past glory. This study, thus, aims to examine the historical journey of Pakistani cinema across the last 68 years. It is important to identify the key factors that have led to the downfall of film industry in Pakistan in the yesteryears, and make it public in the current age, when we witness the revival of cinema in the country once again. This study