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Jawani Phir Nahi Ani: Where's the outrage now?
By Hassan ChoudaryPublished: October 8, 2015
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In spite of all controversies pre-release, why does the film continue to break all box office records in Pakistan?
KARACHI: I have seen Jawani Phir Nahi Ani (JPNA) twice. Both times, the hall was jam-packed. Both times, I laughed so hard throughout the film my jaw started hurting. Both times, the audience’s laughter barely left any space for a moment of silence. If you’ve watched the film, you know I am not stretching the truth.
And to be honest, the reactions are really interesting; fascinating, even because, if you remember, the film was surrounded with controversy before its release.
People were certainly not pleased after seeing the first teaser. Bikini-clad white girls dancing around the film’s lead characters in a scene shot on a beach in Bangkok? How dare they? The outrage was so severe, one of the lead actors, Hamza Ali Abbasi, refused to be part of the film’s promotions. He said during the course of the film’s production his outlook towards what’s inappropriate and what’s not changed and he now regretted shooting that particular sequence.
Read: ‘He is being paid’: Humayun dismisses Hamza’s claim of not taking money for JPNA
This was followed by comparisons between JPNA, Bollywood sex comedy Masti and its sequel Grand Masti. People said the film was against our culture, and soon #BanJawaniPhirNahiAni started trending on Twitter.
But eventually, like the comparisons, the hashtag began to fade away and disappear. Facebook posts and tweets praising the film started emerging. “Jawani Phir Nahin Ani is amazing and a laugh riot. Not to be missed by anyone. Pakistani cinema comes out with an out and out masala comedy entertainer! You won’t regret it!” read one post. “Just watched Jawani phir nahi ani! #JPNA What an entertainer guys! It’s a must watch!” read another.
Why is it that in spite of all the controversies it created pre-release the film continues to break all box office records in Pakistan? Let’s take a look:
The infamous bikini scene
First thing’s first. In terms of “vulgarity” there’s no scene in the film which the Pakistani audience has never seen before. Those who take offence to singing and dancing in movies are clearly a minority or else Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (Deepika Padukone wasn’t exactly dressed in a burka when she danced to Balam Pichkari) or Dhoom 3 (Katrina definitely was not shy dancing to Kamli) or Cocktail (plenty of bikini-clad women in Tum Hi Ho Bandu) wouldn’t have been such rousing successes at the Pakistani box office. Were there any calls for a ban when these films were running houseful in Pakistan? None. But, of course, when you see women dancing to Khul Jaye Botal in JPNA, Pakistani culture falls into imminent danger.
The fact that people are taking their wives and children to watch JPNA suggests no one seems to care about the bikini scene anymore. Why? Because those who went to see the film are mature enough to realise that’s what beaches around the world look like. In lead actor and producer Humayun Saeed’s words, “We didn’t show scantily dressed women jumping around at a beach in Karachi. It was a sequence on a beach in Bangkok and anyone who has been there, or to any beach in a foreign country for that matter, would understand how that shot was a requirement of the script.”
‘This is not our culture’
If there’s one film that hits the nail on its head when it comes to portraying Pakistani culture accurately, it’s JPNA. You have the housewife, the working wife and the wife who has complete control over her husband’s finances. You could probably characterise most Pakistani wives in one of these three categories; hence, the never-ending laughter in cinema halls.
All scenes involving the wives and kids of the male characters are reminiscent of the average Pakistani household. From the husband doing groceries to the husband getting flak for missing a family gath
Jawani Phir Nahi Ani: Where's the outrage now? - The Express Tribune'
By Hassan ChoudaryPublished: October 8, 2015
458
SHARES
SHARE TWEET
In spite of all controversies pre-release, why does the film continue to break all box office records in Pakistan?
KARACHI: I have seen Jawani Phir Nahi Ani (JPNA) twice. Both times, the hall was jam-packed. Both times, I laughed so hard throughout the film my jaw started hurting. Both times, the audience’s laughter barely left any space for a moment of silence. If you’ve watched the film, you know I am not stretching the truth.
And to be honest, the reactions are really interesting; fascinating, even because, if you remember, the film was surrounded with controversy before its release.
People were certainly not pleased after seeing the first teaser. Bikini-clad white girls dancing around the film’s lead characters in a scene shot on a beach in Bangkok? How dare they? The outrage was so severe, one of the lead actors, Hamza Ali Abbasi, refused to be part of the film’s promotions. He said during the course of the film’s production his outlook towards what’s inappropriate and what’s not changed and he now regretted shooting that particular sequence.
Read: ‘He is being paid’: Humayun dismisses Hamza’s claim of not taking money for JPNA
This was followed by comparisons between JPNA, Bollywood sex comedy Masti and its sequel Grand Masti. People said the film was against our culture, and soon #BanJawaniPhirNahiAni started trending on Twitter.
But eventually, like the comparisons, the hashtag began to fade away and disappear. Facebook posts and tweets praising the film started emerging. “Jawani Phir Nahin Ani is amazing and a laugh riot. Not to be missed by anyone. Pakistani cinema comes out with an out and out masala comedy entertainer! You won’t regret it!” read one post. “Just watched Jawani phir nahi ani! #JPNA What an entertainer guys! It’s a must watch!” read another.
Why is it that in spite of all the controversies it created pre-release the film continues to break all box office records in Pakistan? Let’s take a look:
The infamous bikini scene
First thing’s first. In terms of “vulgarity” there’s no scene in the film which the Pakistani audience has never seen before. Those who take offence to singing and dancing in movies are clearly a minority or else Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (Deepika Padukone wasn’t exactly dressed in a burka when she danced to Balam Pichkari) or Dhoom 3 (Katrina definitely was not shy dancing to Kamli) or Cocktail (plenty of bikini-clad women in Tum Hi Ho Bandu) wouldn’t have been such rousing successes at the Pakistani box office. Were there any calls for a ban when these films were running houseful in Pakistan? None. But, of course, when you see women dancing to Khul Jaye Botal in JPNA, Pakistani culture falls into imminent danger.
The fact that people are taking their wives and children to watch JPNA suggests no one seems to care about the bikini scene anymore. Why? Because those who went to see the film are mature enough to realise that’s what beaches around the world look like. In lead actor and producer Humayun Saeed’s words, “We didn’t show scantily dressed women jumping around at a beach in Karachi. It was a sequence on a beach in Bangkok and anyone who has been there, or to any beach in a foreign country for that matter, would understand how that shot was a requirement of the script.”
‘This is not our culture’
If there’s one film that hits the nail on its head when it comes to portraying Pakistani culture accurately, it’s JPNA. You have the housewife, the working wife and the wife who has complete control over her husband’s finances. You could probably characterise most Pakistani wives in one of these three categories; hence, the never-ending laughter in cinema halls.
All scenes involving the wives and kids of the male characters are reminiscent of the average Pakistani household. From the husband doing groceries to the husband getting flak for missing a family gath
Jawani Phir Nahi Ani: Where's the outrage now? - The Express Tribune'
