Written by: Mahnaz Shujrah
Posted on: May 09, 2018 | 
| 中文
Short film 'Basta' and theatre based documentary 'Baki Sab Tamasha'
Premiere Night is one of the most important events in the calendar of LUMS Media Arts Society (LMA). Aiming to provide aspiring filmmakers and art enthusiasts an open platform, LMA encourages its members to explore their creativity and learn new skills related to all facets of the filming process, including script writing, cinematography, sound engineering, direction, acting, and post-productions. In the past, they have released some unique films including Mabel Aur Mein (2016), which was acknowledged both nationally and internationally, and Paanch Choohay (2017), one of LMA’s biggest projects to date. For Premiere Night this year, held on May 2nd at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), multiple films were to be screened. Professionals from the industry were also present at the event, including Haissam Hussain, LUX Style Award winning director of Dur e Shawar and Fasih Bari Khan, writer of Jeevan Hathi starring Naseeruddin Shah.
The main films for the evening included a short film titled Basta and a theatre based documentary Baki Sab Tamasha.
Basta is a thirty minute short film about three mysterious people who meet in a cafe. Starring Usama Lali, Mujtaba Shah Bukhari and Aqeel Ahmed, the film mostly consists of intense dialogues between the characters and multiple motifs with deeper meaning. Each character wears a distinctly colored shalwar kameez (traditional South Asian Outfit) and carries a basta (bag). The characters represent the idea of time, such as guzra huwa kal (memories of the past) and anay wala kal (what the future holds) and the exchange between them is thought provoking for the audience.
In the words of writer and director Usama Lali: “The revival of Pakistani cinema meant the death of Lollywood (traditional Pakistani cinema) and the birth of a cinema more akin to Bollywood (Indian Cinema) than reflective of Pakistani contexts and cultures. Since our team had to work within the format of a short film and not care about the fate of any cinema, or the marketability of the end product, we were able to create something different from both these, something we have seldom seen in Pakistan before”. Basta is an experimental film, employing symbolic realism and elements of the absurd. It is about the baggage we carry as we move through time, and how the past haunts our present, promising a new and better tomorrow, showing us dreams to reach for our ideals. The oneness of time and ego are also depicted through a faceless, paradoxical authority figure of a benevolent waiter who misguides the subject to be lead astray. But on the face of it, it’s a simple story of two strangers meeting in a dark café one night and talking about how the colors of their clothes do not match their bags and how that conflict may be resolved”. The shooting of the film took place at Grill House, located in Y Block Lahore, where the team filmed during the night. The film was co-directed by Shams Pasha and Mujtaba Shah Bukhari.
A collaboration with Dramaline, the dramatics society at LUMS, Baki Sab Tamasha (Everything else is Superfluous) is a very creative portrayal of what it actually means to be backstage. The basis of the documentary was Khamosh Adaalat (Silent Court), a play performed at LUMS Dramafest this year starring Syed Murtaza, Ahmad Kamran, Usman Mumtaz, Fatima Tahseen, and Fatima Khawer. Mujtaba Shah Bukhari, the director for both the play and documentary shares his experience saying “I remember telling my film crew in our first meeting about the idea and they were startled by the amount of work which was coming our way in such a short time. The idea was to give an account of what goes on in the process of making a play. The fears, thoughts, aspirations of different individuals vary, and the only consistent strand running through it all is the medium of theatre itself. It was a rigorous exercise to film all of it, from rehearsals to backstage to the play itself. Uncensored, raw and conversational, the camera became an overlooked entity throughout the process, capturing moments both subtle and dramatic. All of this was being done while I was directing the play at the same time.” The documentary is around twenty minutes long and depicts the essence of fun and struggle.
LUMS Media Arts Society is coming into the limelight due to the fresh ideas and execution it brings. The entire process of transforming a single idea into a full-fledged visual experience is something which not only takes passion, but also consistency, patience and dedication. However, there is a lot more that the students can do with the opportunities they have and it comes down to taking the risk and initiative to create something exceptional. Basta and Baki Sab Tamasha will be screening in different institutions across the country soon, and will also be submitted to international film festivals. The audience appreciated the talented and hardworking individuals behind these projects as they were called on stage.
All images provided by Mahnaz Shujrah
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