Could Pakistan ever come up with its own Oscar nominees? There are naysayers and skeptics out there, but I believe that if the producers and film makers really put their minds to it, they could have some surefire winners on their hands.

Pakistani Beauty
     The seedy side of Karachi suburban life, where neighbours drop their garbage into each other’s compounds, Eid goats are slaughtered and the offal left outside their gates, and chowkidars leer and stare at nay woman that dares to cross the street. A middle aged bank official (Tariq Aziz of Neelam Ghar) gets a new lease of life when his beautiful next door neighbours seems to be giving him signals that she’s attracted to him, but the dilemma intensities when his wife wants to propose marriage on behalf of their 25-year-old son (played by Shaan).

Manto in Love
Manto (Mohsin Hamid), an impoverished writer from Lahore, falls in love with a beautiful noble woman from Peshawar. The only problem is her tribal family, who vow eternal revenge on the poor writer for daring to set eyes on the girl and dishonour their family. He is inspired, instead, to compose sonnets and love-poems in the girl’s honour becomes a famous lyricist for Lollywood, achieving fame and fortune. A tragic love story with a happy ending. Next>