Pakistani cinema has been flourishing over the past few years, with movies coming out every few months. There are some great movies that we have seen over the last few years or so, and we expect the industry to just get better and better. However, our beliefs and faith were a little shaken, as of last night.
People have been waiting for Punjab Nahi Jaungi for a really long time, now
Shows are going sold out and fully pre-booked, either way, it’s full capacity.
https://twitter.com/abidrimsha64/status/903250442406305795
Dear @iamhumayunsaeed fans
Are u going to meet #fawaadkhagga tomorrow, or do i need to convince u more 👇👇#PunjabNahiJaungi https://t.co/LuBA5TBIwj— HumayunSaeedUniverse (@humayunfanclub) August 31, 2017
And people have super high hopes attached with the movie!
Can't understand why #punjabnahijaungi is trending from last three days on my Time Line is it gonna be a block buster after long time?
— منہ پھٹ (@Alwayhopeful) August 31, 2017
The movie is definitely full of colors, drama and lots of masala
From the team that gave Pakistan one of the biggest movies, Jawani Phir Nahi Ani, one would expect them to at least bring us the entertainment. And it does bring all the entertainment.
But there’s something that kinda disturbed us when we watched the movie
The movie has some very, very regressive plot points. And yes, this article contains spoilers about Punjab Nahi Jaungi, so proceed at your own risk. We’re just going to walk you through some of the themes in the movie and, you’re smart enough to understand the rest.
Women can be enticed for marriage after a show of wealth
Women hugging their male friends is equivalent to men cheating on their wives
If a woman asks for a divorce on the basis of the said cheating, she’s in the wrong
Men can display a show of power over women and, well, it’s okay
Men can also be forgiven if they hit a woman, if they’re sorry
This isn’t the first time a recent Lollywood movie has tried normalizing domestic violence and violence within relationships
We saw an apparent ‘expression of love’ in Chain Aye Na, where a man expresses his love to a woman by slapping her. And that’s what people take away from the movie. That it’s okay for a man to hit a woman. And that’s really not okay.
Lastly, Punjab Nahi Jaungi taught us that men can generally be forgiven for everything, regardless of the lack of redemption or apology, if they shed a tear
We love Pakistani cinema, and we want it to progress but one cannot do that if we are regressive with the themes we base our films on. And it’s really sad that we’re telling the audiences that they’re only worth that. Showing positive emotions, constructive cultural practices and enlightened ideas isn’t that hard, tbh. Let’s try doing that with our movies, too, shall we?
Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are those of the authors and don’t necessarily represent or reflect the views of MangoBaaz.
Cover image via Six Sigma Plus Production
