In the midst of political controversies between India and Pakistan, six Indian directors and six Pakistani directors are coming together on a common platform for an apolitical exchange to mark the onset of the 70th year of the country’s partition.
After the launch of Zindagi channel, which brought Pakistan’s TV content closer to Indians in 2014, Zeal For Unity (ZFU) is the second initiative by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) to bridge the divide between the two.
“This initiative is keeping in line with our proposition, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which means ‘the world is my family’. It’s an initiative to bring people together, and one of the best ways to reach people is through cultural similarities,” Punit Goenka, managing director and CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, said.
From Pakistan, the six directors who will participate are Mehreen Jabbar, Sabiha Sumar, Khalid Ahmad, Shahbaz Sumar, Siraj Ul Haq and Meenu Farjad. And from India, there is Aparna Sen, Tanuja Chandra, Ketan Mehta, Nikhil Advani, Tigmanshu Dhulia and Bejoy Nambiar.
Twelve films of various lengths and subjects will be presented.
Nambiar’s movie Dobara is about a free-spirited girl who gets into an arranged marriage; Mehta’s Toba Tek Singh is a satire penned by famous Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto; and Dhulia’s film is about a Muslim boy who hides his identity and pretends to be a Hindu to find a house in Mumbai.
Farjad’s Jeevan Haathi is a dark comedy about media and features Indian actor Naseerudin Shah; Sumar’s Khaeme Mein Mat Jhankein is a fantasy fiction; while Haq’s Mohabbat Ki Aakhri Kahani is on honour killing.
“In some ways or the other, the films touch upon the Hindu-Muslim and India-Pakistan relationship, but we didn’t ask the filmmakers to specifically make films on peace. We gave them the freedom of choice to tell stories their way — no rules, no format,” Shailja Kejriwal, chief creative office, special projects, ZEEL, an Indian media and entertainment conglomerate, said.
The fact that “there are far more people who want peace and friendly relations between the nations than those who don’t” was a major drive for the team to initiate the project, which aimed to exploit the “brilliant talent pool that both countries have,” he added.
“Zindagi was the first step in a direction to bridge the cultural gaps as Indians at large had not seen Pakistani content and the lifestyle of people in Pakistan. Now the second step is to get directors from both nations to stand together and dissolve the boundaries,” Kejriwal said, stressing on how “the common man in both the countries does not want war”.
Kejriwal said it is a “historic step” in the sense that an Indian banner had never produced a Pakistani film so far.
Now, the idea is also to take these 12 movies to the audience by giving them a digital as well as broadcast release.
Has there been any government support for the initiative?
“Our job is to connect the people through cultural mediums, and not about engaging the government,” Kejriwal said.
