Joyland - Updated

-

 JOYLAND [2022] - UPDATED!

Starring: Alina Khan, Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Sarwat Gilani

Direction & Screenplay by Saim Sadiq

Language: Urdu / Punjabi


I finally managed to get my hands on the uncensored version of Joyland, and safe to say it completely surpassed my expectations! After watching it, I'm just so surprised that so much was censored. There were some incredibly sexual scenes, where censorship was perhaps warranted in the religious, Pakistani society, but completely platonic hugs and dances were so brutally cut out. Seeing some of the censored scenes in full was jarring for me, and it confronts a reality about Pakistan that is uncomfortable to watch. However, the point of film is to challenge stereotypes, and find a new angle that evokes pathos within an audience.

After watching the film in its entirety, everything just completely fit together. Seeing Haider's complete instability made me sympathise with his wife, when I had originally thought that he was completely innocent when his marriage broke apart. I could now commiserate with the torment that Mumtaz's character went through, and finally understood the actions which she took that, in the censored version, seemed completely rash and unwarranted. The symbolism of certain things really took flight in this version.

What's clear to me from watching the uncensored version is that there is a subtle celebration of transgender people in the film. It was really interesting to watch! I find it upsetting that a film designed to promote the rights of a minority group was so harshly squashed in the country of its origin. Let me just say that watching this version gave me a WHOLE new level of respect for the acting of Alina Khan (Biba). She was so good! The height of her acting capability shone through in the previously censored scenes: her deep yearning for love and to be accepted, coupled with her deep sense of insecurity and her need to protect herself knowing the kind of society she is living in.

SPOILER COMING:

The part that moved me most was Mumtaz's funeral and the confrontations in the family after her death. Seeing Biba come to the funeral was symbolic: death brings people together, no matter their race, or class or sexual/gender preferences. The scenes I'm mentioning here were deeply feminist, and that fact made those scenes especially more poignant: I know the type of patriarchal society women live in in Pakistan. In the scenes following Mumtaz's death, Gilani's character, Nucchi, reaches her catharsis, and defies her role as the stereotypical, submissive housewife to stand up against the patriarchal views of the men. That, to me, was the most powerful scene in the film.

If you can get your hands on the uncensored version of Joyland, watch it! It was excellent! 10/10 (it was ROBBED of an Oscar nomination).

Popular posts from this blog

Moonlight

-
Image
  MOONLIGHT [2016] Starring: Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monae, Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, Naomie Harris Direction by Barry Jenkins Language: English In 2016, I turned 11. I had watched La La Land in the cinema, but was too young to watch Moonlight. I loved musicals even then, and so I thought I was supposed to love the movie. So I resented Moonlight when they were the ones that ended up winning the Oscar on that fateful day in 2017. The movie has always been in the back of my mind: I've been wondering about it of late, and it was only until it came up on my Netflix recommended list that I decided to watch it.  Side note: I didn't realise that A24 was involved in the production and distribution of so many critically acclaimed films! Moonlight, Lady Bird, Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Whale, Aftersun. The list goes on and on. A24 is my kind of production house, that's for certain.  What can I say about Moonlight? It was alright, I guess? I don't know. I watche...
Read more

Days of Being Wild

-
Image
  Days of Being Wild [1990] Starring: Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Andy Lau, Carina Lau Direction by Wong Kar-wai Language: Cantonese, Mandarin I was very lucky to find that in my city, a local independent cinema was having a Wong Kar-wai retrospective, where they were showing Wong Kar-wai's most influential movies in a bid to increase tourism to Hong Kong. I had originally wanted to watch 'In the Mood For Love' on the big screen, yet it sold out almost instantly. In response, I watched this instead, and I am so glad that I did.  If the movie does anything well, it is character development that excels. Although the movie was quite short, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of symbolism Kar-wai was able to pack into it. All of the characters felt very fleshed out, but not the the point where their storylines became repetitive, as is the case with may Western movies. Kar-wai's craft, in my opinion, is giving the audiences small hints throughout his movies, meaning t...
Read more

Bunty Aur Babli

-
Image
  Bunty Aur Babli [2005] Starring: Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan Direction by Shaad Ali Language: Hindi After reviewing a few movies, I have realised that I only watch Bollywood movies if I have listened to the songs beforehand and have enjoyed them! In this case, members of my family have singing Kajra Re  since I was born! In other reviews, I have mentioned how I tend not to enjoy crime/action films. However, a crime film put together with some incredibly extravagant choreography, a budding romance and you've got me hooked. Finally, I have seen a movie that isn't just a soppy romance in its entirety! What is interesting about this movie is the shift in narrative: the writers of Bollywood films, to this day, have an obsession with the western world. You'll be hard pressed to find a movie that doesn't take you to the streets of New York or London for a dance number. Most movies often centre around the movement of NRIs (non resident Indians) to and fr...
Read more