Zindagi Tamasha, a film by Sarmad Khoosat has been chosen by Pakistan Academy Selection Committee as Pakistan’s official entry to the 93rd Academy Awards. The film will be submitted for Oscar consideration in the ‘International Feature Film Award’ category by the Pakistan Committee. The presentation show for the 93rd Academy Awards scheduled to take place on 25th April 2021.
A petition filed against the screening of Sarmad Khoosat’s film Zindagi Tamasha was withdrawn on Thursday. The petition was filed on Monday by a man named Chaudhry Qadeer Ahmed. He claimed that the film hurt religious sentiment and violated Pemra’s rules and it should not be released in Pakistan. The court remarked how can the petitioner comment on something that no one has seen it as the film is not released yet.
The film Zindagi Tamasha, despite being cleared by all three censor boards for premier will now be assessed by Council of Islamic Ideology. The decision was taken by the federal government after Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) threatened to create unrest in the country if the film is to be released. Following the government’s decision, the TLP has decided to defer the protests.
Censor boards in Sindh and Punjab have decided against the release of Sarmad Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha across the country. A statement issued by the Sindh Board of Censors claimed that if the film was released it would cause “unrest” within some segments of society and “may deteriorate and be detrimental to the peaceful circumstances in the country”.
Zindagi Tamasha, a Sarmad Khoosat fim, written by Nirmal Bano is all set to release on January 24, 2020. Zindagi Tamasha is a brave and timely film in context of Pakistan’s current socio-political environment. It is an intimate portrait of a Lahori family, as well as a scorching political commentary on the ‘little gods’ on earth who police our private passions.