An Oscar coming to Pakistan? Sorry, not impressed!
Monday, February 27th, 2012 5:09:45 by Muhammad Qasim Hassan
An Oscar coming to Pakistan? Sorry, not impressed!
Almost every television channel is celebrating the success of Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy’s “Saving Face” at the 2012 Oscars.
Everyone feels that it is a huge achievement for a Pakistani to win an Oscar, something that is considered to be the highest honour in the world of entertainment.
For some reason, I am not impressed. The very fact that we are rejoicing over the fact that the Americans acknowledged a film made by a Pakistani and regarded it as impressive is pretty disturbing. It is disappointing to see ourselves rely so heavily on the approval of a foreign country.
While I would not disagree with all the appreciation that has been shown at the 2012 Oscars for Sharmeen’s efforts, I strongly condemn the attitude of the Pakistani public after the film won an Oscar.
The film has been there for some time and yet neither the film nor all the hard work that had been put in by Sharmeen and her team had ever received significant appreciation in Pakistan. More than half the hard-core film fanatics were not even aware of the existence of such a documentary, let alone congratulating her for coming up with a gem of a film.
Everything changed once the West applauded the film. Suddenly, everyone began to see Sharmeen in a new light, proud of her for reaching what they consider the biggest milestone in entertainment.
I am not impressed with the fact that a Pakistani film made a strong impact at ths Oscars. Sharmeen’s efforts deserved to be acknowledged in Pakistan after the film first came out, not after it won her an Oscar. Even if the film is yet to be released in Pakistan, there was absolutely no mention of the film on social networking sites such as Twitter or Facebook. Everyone was focused on the likes of Veena Malik instead of discussing a project that had been making waves in the world during the previous year.
It is frustrating to see how the Pakistani people mindlessly measure the quality of a film on how it performs in the West. Sharmeen herself must be feeling pretty pleased with the honours that she received and maybe she has the right to feel that way because her own country never bothered to give her work the same respect.
However, the Pakistani public needs to stop acting like little children who keep demanding the appreciation of their father after coming home with a golden star on their cheek. We need to understand that America is not our father. We need to understand that
we should not wait for an Oscar to get convinced that Pakistan has talent. All we need to do is turn our televisions on and take a look at all the dramas on Hum TV or some other channel to realise just how much talent we currently have. We need to appreciate and value that talent ourselves.
Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=13958
Posted by Muhammad Qasim Hassan
on Feb 27 2012. Filed under Opinion.
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This is not about “the West” or seeking the approval of Americans. Your argument is ridiculous.The Oscar is an internationally recognized laurel, the highest honour that filmmakers across the world try to achieve, including documentary makers across the world. This is indeed a huge achievement for Pakistan and shame on you for belittling it.
I am sorry but I completely fail to see the point that you’re trying to make. I was under the impression that filmmakers were in the business to entertain or educate, not seek personal glory. Let me also add that not all filmmakers across the world crave for an Oscar. Take a look at China. You do not find their filmmakers or nation chasing an Oscar. It is just unfortunate to see that even after becoming an independent state, our minds are still enslaved. We still judge our talent, our accomplishments, our success on the regard that the West has for it. Shame on you for ignoring your talent until they receive recognition from the West and shame on you for getting over-excited over something that has absolutely no value in Asia. Oscars are by America for America in America. Maybe it’s time for us, especially people like you, to get over your obsession with the West.
Your arguments might make some sense if the film had been released. Since Saving Face is yet to be released to the public, it’s a little ridiculous to say that the work wasn’t appreciated in Pakistan.
Also, the Chinese were trying very hard to get an Oscar for “Flowers of War”. As Amna said, the Oscars are an internationally recognized award that virtually all film makers vie for.
RIDICULOUS article!! Looks like you wrote it just for the sake of being different, the points you present in the article are completely senseless
Oh forgive me for exercising my freedom to express MY opinion and not becoming a photocopy of you people. For the love of God people, learn to respect and tolerate opinions that are somewhat different from yours. Your strong criticism/insults are making me feel as if I’m Ahmedinijad, the Iranian President!
The writer of this article is a genuine person who has written about the root cause of the ills that plague our society. I salute you dear sir for your bravery and courage even after you have received so much critcism. Our nation needs more people like you so that we can became a glorious country like Iran. Maybe one day we can elect you as Prime Minister so that you can rid us of all the evil that is causing our country to decay. As I can see after reading this article, you and only you have all the answers. The rest of us are just sub-standard humans who know nothing and only parrot what the west tells us. You need to rise and lead this westernised zombie nation to a brighter future.
I am with you! We should break the Oscar when it comes to Pakistan.