Written by: Hamad Ali
Posted on: March 15, 2018 | 
| 中文
(L-R) Ahsan Shah, Ali Gul Pir and Nazeen Baluch
On 11th March, 2018, the Grid Club hosted a screening of ‘Lyari – A Prison Without Wall,’ a film by Nazeen Baluch. Baluch graduated from Iqra University, and is the first female Baloch director. The screening time of the film was 30 minutes, which was followed by a question and answer session with the filmmakers, including the producer Ahsan Shah, and the director of photography Salaar Yousufzai.
The film narrated the story of a young boy Kaleem, who lives in Lyari and is struggling to become a footballer. From a young age, he has remained invested in the sport, winning several accolades for himself and his team. Early on in the film, we are shown scenes of his mischievousness, as neighbors bang at the door of Kaleem’s house to complain about him, seeing him an ordinary young boy like any other. Things start to get serious when Kaleem’s mother is diagnosed with breast cancer and taken to the hospital, where the doctors inform the men of the house that an operation will be carried out as soon as possible to save her. Kaleem’s father had retired and Kaleem had aspired to become a footballer, thus the financial situation of the house was tight. When Kaleem is informed by a friend that he can now play for the national team, he leaves the job his father found him. Yet, Kaleem is unable to take up the offer, because he is under pressure to arrange money for his mother’s surgery. He asks his coach for financial help, who is of no help and instead insults him. On the other hand, Kaleem’s father is angry at him for leaving the job. Kaleem and his friend then opt for the criminal path, and what follows next is the story of the film.
The actors fit into their roles well. In a conversation with the producer, he said that the actors were very talented, and they took long shots without cuts or intervals. Most of the scenes were shot using handheld cameras, so the cinematography exuded spontaneity. These were complemented with aerial shots, to show the narrow streets of Lyari. The theme song of the film was written by Waheed Noor and sung by Mustafa Baluch while the rap song was sung and written by Sami Amiri.
A significant concept that came up with this film was the politics of representation. The idea of who gets to tell the story? This film holds great significance because it is about an underrepresented area. All the filmmakers were from Lyari, and they had experienced the violence of the area. The language that they chose to shoot in was Balochi, which gives the film an authentic and realistic flavor.
In the discussion after the screening, the director stated that they had grown up living with the terrors of Lyari gang war, and had known how violence had replaced professions, such as those of laborers. Most of the people became gang members, leaving their professions, and this could also be seen in Kaleem’s case. Terror had been so deeply entrenched within the minds of the people, that it did not seem unethical and immoral to steal, rob, and kill.
Mainstream media has always represented Lyari as a violent space, about which people think twice before visiting. The filmmakers should have, in my opinion, depicted Lyari in a positive light, so that the stereotyping of the area could be challenged. I think that as independent filmmakers they had the creative freedom to generate a narrative that can change common perceptions about the area. However, all in all, it was a great effort by the team and I hope to see good films by them in the near future.
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