Istafa Ali
Zindagi Tamasha by Sarmad Khoosat was supposed to come out in January 2020, but there have been many delays. But after a long fight for an official release, Khoosat decided to put the whole movie on YouTube so people could watch it for free. Zindagi Tamasha just came out this month, but it already has more than 500,000 views in its first few days, so it seems to be doing pretty well.
The film’s director and producer thanked everyone for the success of the movie on Instagram by writing, “Half a million views and growing! When I think about the problems Zindagi Tamasha had, it’s hard to believe, but all of your support and love is really touching. Happy Independence Day to you all, because you made it possible for us to free and improve “Zindagi Tamasha.” Every single point of view shows how much people want to express themselves. In the end, art imitates life. Thank you for liking Zindagi Tamasha!”.
It has also caused a lot of political and religious debate, especially when the Pakistani government said it showed anti-Islamic material. The film’s release kept getting pushed back because of the decisions of the Council of Islamic Ideology, the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the fact that Khoosat himself had received multiple death threats because of his work.
Film Production and Theatres to be tax-free now in Pakistan
Last but not least, the film’s release on YouTube and Vimeo for the director’s cut has given people a chance to interact with the art and make their own decisions. Sarmad says in the description of the video release, “We have chosen to give our fans straight access to our long-awaited, award-winning picture “Zindagi Tamasha.” You can now have it. So, even though the movie is available for free on YouTube, we’re giving our great fans a way to show their support directly for the movie (since it won’t be in theatres or on streaming services).”
