Better than the badlandsSOMETIMES the old army dictum “Don’t volunteer for anything” must be broken. As when, for instance, a soldier in Pakistan’s army is given the choice between fighting rebels in the badlands of Waziristan, or volunteering to appear in a film in which he portrays a soldier fighting the same rebels. Whatever thespians may say about the sweat, tears and pain that go into acting, compared with actually fighting in north-western Pakistan, it is at least safer.
Pakistan’s film industry lacks the size and razzmatazz of Bollywood. This year Pakistan looks likely to screen 48 local films. That is a record, but between April 2014 and March 2015, India released more than 38 times as many. The army, envious of its great rival’s soft power, is trying to rectify that imbalance. Hassan Waqas Rana, a prominent Pakistani director, says that the army “looks at the script, and if they think it is good enough they give you whatever you need.”
The army does not finance films. Instead it makes low-budget productions look like higher-budget ones, mainly by offering logistical help and access to...Continue reading
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