Written by: Hala Syed
Posted on: February 28, 2019 | 
| 中文
Zarrar Khan as Bilal and Nida Khan as Mariam
I have been a fan of Hamza Bangash since I first saw his play, Baraf Paani, a few years ago. It was intimate, specific and incredibly well written. His next play, Suno (in collaboration with Taskeen), took the same realism, and shed light on depression with a gentle but deft hand. As much as I was looking forward to watching his latest short film, “Dia,” I was not prepared for how raw and affecting it would be.
The 24 minute film, produced by Citylights Productions, starts with the same normalcy and small moments which have become Bangash’s signature. We see a family having breakfast. There are common frictions such as the little brother wanting something different to eat, and the mother nagging our main character to get married. Through a clever mix of iPhone footage and traditional cinema scope, we soon get a jarring sense that something else is going on.
The story of Dia revolves around Mariam, played with heartbreaking restraint by Nida Khan. She is a law student with a concerned but slightly overbearing mother. Underneath her daily routine, tension is brewing. In her private moments, we see Mariam on the phone and are privy to snippets of a secret romance she has with a boy named Asad.
Slowly, we see her mental state deteriorate, as she begins to hallucinate. Nida doesn’t act in the over-the-top “crazy,” manner we tend to see in Pakistani entertainment about mental issues. She’s withdrawn, not eating, disconnected and shows changes in behaviour. Her mother (brilliantly performed by Bakhtawar Mazhar) is concerned but mostly annoyed. She takes her to a spiritual healer, who does more harm than good. She pushes Mariam to act the way she expects, rather than taking the time to find out what’s going on with her.
One of the best choices this movie makes is to end where it does. The film is not about recovery or the profession of psychiatry. Instead, the focus is on the early symptoms that we often ignore or misunderstand. It speaks to mental illness, but also about grief and isolation. Not everyone can relate to where Mariam ends up in this film, which is truly disturbing. But many people may relate to where she is at the beginning: isolated and full of feelings that she has no tools or space to express.
Dia was screened at British Council last Sunday, with the panel comprising of Hamza Bangash, Nida Khan, Bakhtawar Mazhar and Tayyeba Kiran, spokesperson for Pakistan Institute of Living and Learning (PILL). They discussed the collaboration between the filmmakers and PILL, and the importance of removing the stigma around mental illness. Hamza Bangash pointed out that the government of Pakistan allocates no funds for filmmaking, but spends 1.2 crores on censorship. He emphasized the importance of organizations like PILL, which help young filmmakers create exciting and relevant work. Tayyeba Kiran mentioned that most people with mental illnesses do not seek help until it is too late, even though treatments are more effective at earlier stages.
The packed hall listened with rapt attention and asked relevant questions about filmmaking, medication, grief and the nuance of dealing with delicate subjects. It was a moving moment when football captain Hajra Khan, shared her own experience with mental illness, and highlighted the dangers for athletes who suffer concussions and do not receive proper treatment.
When a high profile celebrity talks about mental illness, we applaud them as brave. When we hear about someone who has improved due to psychotherapy or medication, we praise those treatments. On hearing news of suicides, we are suitably saddened and reflective. In all those cases, we share social media posts, urging people to talk about their issues and promising support. Yet, if someone shows initial signs of a mental disorder, our instinct is to be dismissive or even angry. We tell them their problems are small and solvable. Though we have started to speak about mental health, in practice we are still unlikely to recognize signs and symptoms. Hopefully, projects like this film will help us dig beneath the surface and tackle mental issues with empathy and understanding.
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