The 50-year old history of Pakistani cinema has had its share of ups and downs.
For years now, the film industry has been a hotbed of controversies and allegations inasmuch as its quality status quo is concerned. Veterans of this industry do not hesitate to claim that Pakistani films today are not upto a certain balanced level of quality as they were in yesteryears. They claim that the cinema business suffered a major setback during the dictatorship era, from which it has never really recovered.

Another year has rolled by. In quantitative terms out of the total of 42 films released to date this year, a mere four have been classified as box-office hits. A 10% success rate for a market the size of ours, with a grand total of 400 cinemas, is good enough, claim some in the business. "I think that the present success ratio is quite good, given the size of our small market," commented producer Shahzad Gul on the industry's performance this year.

Similar sentiments were expressed by actor-turned-director, Shaan, who released his second venture as a director this year, 'Mujhe Chaand Chahiye,' one of the year's biggest hits. "This was not a bad year, quality has now come to a point where you can now see a future. The quality of films has improved as a result of reduction in quantity, since there is now more concentration of finances."

Dress designer to the stars, Bege, reiterates that 2000 has been "a successful year." Others, like Mussarat Misbah of Depilex, take a slightly more conservative approach in declaring that this was "a mixed year; the quantity of films has reduced, there was a time when 100 films were made. But technical effects and camera-work has improved."

The flip side of the coin is that when it comes to the crunch, in numerical figures, this is the 3rd consecutive year in which the film industry has been incurring losses. Confronting the issue, Sajjad Gul says, "Right now cinema is not doing very well due to economic conditions. The cinema-going classes do not have enough income to spend on recreation. Besides, not many good films were produced this year. 'Mujhe Chand Chahiye' was the best film this year, whereas 'No Paisa No Problem' was a sheer disappointment. Another contributory factor to the situation, as pointed out by film star Resham, is that, "This has not been a good year because of the introduction of cable TV, after the satellite dish. Good films should be made to bring people to the cinema, 'Ghar Kab Aao Ge' was a good film, but one good film is not enough!"

Meera expressed similar views, saying "I think only two good films were produced this year, 'Mehndi Walay Hath', and 'Ghar Kab Aao Gay'. Apart from a few films, the rest did not do good business. The standard of production has not improved much." Samina Peerzada, who debuted as a Director last year with 'Inteha', takes a different approach to the situation. "After last years successes 'Choorian' and 'Inteha', there could have been major developments in the film industry, which was not so because producers are not willing to make changes. The prevailing attitude of the film industry will take us nowhere. I'm planning a parallel film industry in order to create strong, issue-based films; new-wave cinema, so to speak."

The issue of quality cinema runs deeper than just having a strong storyline; economic conditions in general, mass-appeal and requisite funding for investments are all inter-related in the dynamics of this industry. Whereas Peerzada holds that "people are ready for a change, they expect better films now," Shaan says that "producing quality films is a big question mark. Aiming only for a certain intellectual standard is not viable because in entrtainment you have to keep in mind mass-appeal. I wouldn't want to invest a million rupees in a single venture for a specific audience only where the returns would be very low. My first venture, 'Guns 'n' Roses' did not bring major financial returns because the technique and speed of the film was too fast for our average cinema-going crowd. It is possible, however, to maintain a certain balance between a strong story-line and mass-appeal as I did with 'Mujhe Chand Chahiye'." Other directors who tread this fine line are Syed Noor, (Mehndi Walay Hath,) and Sangeeta (Sultana Daku).

One positive growing trend is the resurrection of cinema as a popular mode of entertainment for all. With a lot of producers and directors stating that economic improvement under the current circumstances is a prerequisite to further technical and quality improvement, an expanding cinema audience is a step in the right direction. Some quality productions in recent years drew large audiences from cross-sections of society, thereby re-establishing cinema as acceptable family entertainment.

What other changes are we looking at for the coming year? For one, all are in agreement that fresh talent is needed in all aspects of filmmaking. As Shehzad Gul pointed out, "If new people join the industry, new ideas will come in. With every changing generation, new faces should come in." Shehzad Gul has set an example with 'Tere Pyar Mein,' being released on eid; six new people are being introduced in this film, including the writer, and choreographer Hassan Shehryar. Shaan is in agreement that "people who appreciate quality should join films, people who understand aesthetics." Samina Peerzada is very positive in stating that," I have proved that the industry and cine-goers can be changed. A lot of new people want to join the industry and are waiting in the wings."

It is evident that the film industry is directly affected by economic conditions in general. While the demands of the cinema-going audience certainly cannot be ignored, there exists the possibility of a niche market being explored and developed on a larger scale. This whole process rests on a certain balance which has to be maintained between quality, quantity and economics of the situation.