Sarmad Khoosat’s 'Zindagi Tamasha' wins at Busan International Film Festival

Sarmad Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha has been awarded the prestigious Kim Ji-seok Award at the Busan International Film Festival.

The Kim Ji-seok Award, named after the festival’s co-founder and executive programmer was jointly presented to Zindagi Tamasha and to Pradip Kurbah’s Market (India).

Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival earlier this week.

Set in Lahore, the film chronicles the chaos that ensues in the life of a devout elderly man when a video featuring him gets uploaded onto social media.

The film has been directed and co-produced by Khoosat along with his sister Kanwal Khoosat. It has been written by Nirmal Bano and stars Eman Suleman, Samiya Mumtaz, Arif Hasan and Ali Qureshi.

The soundtrack for the movie has been composed by Lux Style Award winners Saakin.

Speaking to Variety Khoosat said, “What was most important to me was exploring the idea of tolerance. Tolerance not just to others (to allow people to exist the way they are) but also tolerance to self – and this is where the concept of shame, need for approval etc. come in to play.”

“I have been in situations where I have felt I should have been more tolerant of others and more accepting of my own self,” he added.

Speaking about the current state of the Pakistani film industry, Khoosat said, “The misfortune with our industry in the 1980s and 1990s was that it did not cater to a wider audience. But the last two decades have seen a nice variety of films come out, and the revival of Pakistani cinema.