Hitler is definitely not a topic of conversations in Pakistan. But apparently the Pakistani cinema in the 80’s thought making a movie about him was a good idea.
We ended up seeing the whole thing and here’s what happens:
Before the Shaans of Pakistani cinema there was this superhero
And he stars in the movie.
Predating the Lollywood films that defied laws of nature, since physics is just a word in a text book for Lollywood, there was the era of films that completely defied logic and were tampering with history as we know it today.
Enter Hitler, or as is pronounced by the characters of the film… Hitlaar
Hitler is a 1980 film about Hitler’s Punjabi speaking, who escapes to Europe after Germany bombed the life out of Hiroshima and Nagasaki… yes, someone somewhere in 1980s Lollywood thought Germany dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Here’s another poster of this remarkable milestone in Pakistani cinema
The movie has flying names, literally
In a scene during the first half of the film, the word Hitler is literally raining from the sky as Hitler’s henchmen prepare to shoot a random guy.
When Hitler does make an entry in the movie he is the boss.
He is so convincing as a Punjabi that modern Hollywood filmmakers could learn a thing or two before having white actors play stereotypical ethnic characters.
Hitler does not speak a word of German through the film, resorting to speak Punjabi only, and is very well endowed with facial hair.
The plot also introduces Sultan, the protagonist
Yeah,in a movie about Hitler, for Hitler and featuring Hitler, poor old Hitler is not the hero.
Sultan, however, is a guy who witnesses the murder of that one random Punjabi guy early on in the film. This makes him significant enough to become the protagonist of the film, as he tries to free the people of some village from Hitler’s tyranny.
Towards the end of the film, Hitar has some alone time with his old man too – the original devil A.K.A the real life Hitler
He talks to his “dad” via what looks like a promotional poster for Nazi propaganda that somehow made its way past the censors and into this gem of a film.
Whether the film was intended as a comedy with its premise or acting or a drama with its dialogue or plot or a period piece with its historical accuracy remains a mystery
But here is a short clip to pique your interest about this cinematic masterpiece. Enjoy.
The Sultan in this movie is played by none other than Sultan Rahi.
