Oyeyeah Exclusive: Sarmad Khoosat Shares Deets of Zindagi Tamasha

Sarmad Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha has been making waves in the entertainment industry. After having watched the trailer, everyone is waiting for the film’s local release. Though Zindagi Tamasha has already made its international premiere and the updates regarding the film are quite promising.

The film had its world premiere on the 6th of October at Busan International Film Festival. Sarmad Khoosat (director) and Arif Hasan (lead actor) were in Busan representing Khoosat Films.

Here at OyeYeah, we had a chance to have a quick conversation with the genius behind Zindagi Tamasha, Sarmad Khoosat, and the film’s team. The first thing we asked was about the film’s local release and a few other questions. Enjoy the full conversation below:

OY: When will it be released, few reports claiming by the end of this year?
Zindagi Tamasha Team: The date of release will be announced soon through the social media handles of Khoosat Films.

OyeYeah: By looking at the recently released trailer, the story seems to be pretty intense. Tell us a bit about the story of the film.
Sarmad Khoosat: Story is set in Lahore during the period of Eid Milad-un-Nabi celebrations and follows Rahat, a naatkhawan from the walled city of Lahore, as he confronts the people and events which unfold after his video gets leaked on the internet. He attempts to face the massive and sudden changes in his life, the biggest of them brought by his daughter. The story through its course explores a lot of things such as the character of Lahore, growing inclination towards intolerance, toxic notions attached to masculinity and what unkind treatments and ostracism are capable of doing to a person’s sense of being.

Read More : Sarmad Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha will unveil some dark secrets!

OY: Who are the main actors appearing in the film?
SK: Arif Hasan, who is making his debut as a protagonist in a feature film. Samiya Mumtaz, a veteran actress, is playing a major role in the film. Eman Suleman, the fashion model from Lahore, is playing the second protagonist in the film and Ali Kureshi, also a model, is acting for the first time, playing the character of a son-in-law of the protagonist.

OY: What has been the inspiration behind this film?
Zindagi Tamasha team: This film had very organic growth. While preparing for his role in theatre play, Jhanjar di pawan jhankar, Sarmad had come across a video on YouTube that prompted a character in his mind. Along with the writer, he mapped out the character sketch and from there it was a lot of exploring and juggling with themes and possible plot points. It would be safe to say that we depended on the characters to drive us through the story and developed the plot accordingly.

OY: Do you think a message-oriented film can cater to the needs of Pakistani cinema, as most commercial films are being produced?
SK: This new-age of Pakistani cinema is nascent and like any other cinema, it needs diverse genres and experiments to thrive. We hope Zindagi Tamasha will contribute positively to creating and nurturing the identity of Pakistani cinema.

OY: Any message that you would like to convey to the Pakistani audience.
SK: A lot of effort has gone in an attempt to carve characters and a story that is close to reality, is humane and remains honest to the people it claims to represent; and those people are the same ones who are going to watch it. The film is about you. It is about us and the society we make.