Society is a reflection of film and film is a symptom of society, that is the message that actor and model Sana Fakhar led the conversation with. Pakistan was once a nation that had over a thousand cinemas and going to cinemas was once a favourite pastime in the country. Now however not only does the local film industry produce very few films, the audience for those films is almost non-existent. The dialogue and performance at Media Baithak discussed the reasons for this and how the art form of cinema can be harnessed to increase peace and tolerance in the people and the nation.

The session was attended by media persons, educators, civil society organizations and film enthusiasts. The panel was composed of Faheem Shad, filmmaker and countering violent extremism activist, Aamir Qureshi, actor and storyteller, Hajra Yamin, actor, Sana Fakhar, actor and model and Alyy Khan, actor and host.

Sana Fakhar was of the opinion that cinema is not being used as a form of art at all presently but more or less as a simple vehicle of entertainment and a means to provide the audience with escapism for a few hours. Alyy Khan stated that the reason that there is violence in films is so that the bigger evil is portrayed the more value the hero will have in defeating it. Additionally he said that due to the fact that Pakistani dramas cover every valuable social topic so impeccably, it discourages the viewer from paying for film, when they can simply enjoy better content on television for free.

“Cinema is not being run by filmmakers or people with training in media, it is being run by businessmen,” said Aamir Qureshi in light of the reasons why cinema is not producing the sort of contribution to the social narrative that can increase a sense of ethics and values in the community. “The new generation will not be plagiarizing ideas from India the way the previous generations have been doing, they will be inspired by Hollywood and legitimate filmmakers.”

Hajra Yamin, one of the younger actors in the industry, was critical of how inaccessible cinema is for the average person “if the cinematic experience costs Rs. 2000, how can we possibly expect to revive the industry.” For the depiction of women being the stereotypical victim or succubus, Yamin said that the actor is the bridge between the producer and the audience and according to the audience they have begun to find this stereotyping of women to be tedious and demand a change.

– Complilation