Mehreen Jabbar

I think Mehreen Jabbar is a great filmmaker. I`ve seen several of her telefilms over the years and she is one of the few people in Pakistan who have taken risks and told stories that are relevant and important. People like her should be encouraged in an environment that has seen the decline of drama and film on the one hand and the rise of tv channels and an explosion of programs. Personally I have liked all the work she has done and i hope she makes a feature film very soon. !

This really surprises me. How people attempt to copy western phrases into eastern environments in the name of art. Read this
Post # 9
“scream with anguish and innocent hurt `but i want to be fucked”

Am I to assume that a vast majority of Pakistan girls use this language? But if they don’t then what value this dialog has except to shock some lame in controlled environments in a dubious international film festival.
I seriously doubt that this language is even used by majority in the US. A majority of girls in the US would rather say, “I want to be laid!” and there is nothing shocking in it.
So the shock is not in the use of the language, but in the mindless use of some phrase heard over in some movie from Hollywood and hastily used in some so-called arty farty mock-ups.

Now how does this prove any arty farty credentials? What makes this a refreshing contribution to the society? Only in some perverted dreams.

//after all, shock treatment is recommended in some cases...//

This is nihilist and that is the real problem with people that are cutoff from the society and assume that they are hip. And yeah! They do need a Murree Brewery bottle except that just looking at the bottle, before a bottle can even hit them, will inebriate them.

#8 by hossp
I am not in any way passing judgment on Laila Kazmi’s effort in projecting women from Pakistan who are making efforts to change things in a country...


Mr/s? hossp, it seems to me that that is exactly what you are doing. no offence tho:)

#7 by temporal
Mehreen’s father is Javed Jabbar (formerly of MNJ Advertising) and CEO’s first information minister.


also an ex-senator during BB`s time i think.

good read Ms Kazmi... any relation to Rahat Kazmi;)

i saw Mehreen Jabbar`s `beauty parlour` in a film festival organised by Matteela (of Farjad Nabi) two years back and i must say it was shockingly refreashing - if there is such a phrase .for me, a male of this society, to see Sania Saeed(one of our own, i might add, as opposed to a westerner, say) scream with anguish and innocent hurt `but i want to be fucked` or something to that effect was shocking to the core! but i must add that, Sania`s character was so true(the other person - Nadia Jamil was it? - was advising Sania to unnatrually supress a very human and natural desire) that i was left asking myself, `why am i so shocked?`

perhaps ms. Jabbar sees the shock value as a tool, an argument that i fully support given these times... after all, shock treatment is recommended in some cases...

1.hiccups, for e.g,
2.umm also... what that loss of memory disease coz of a bump on the head? just bash a bottle of the murree brewerys finest on the same spot and viola... memory`s back(at least thats what h/b/lollywood would have us believe;)
3.and oh yeah cardiac arrest(all clear!... BUZZZZ...)

for a patient(read society) that is almost dead.... #3 it is...

Kudos to Ms. Mehreen Jabbar and all those like her, working out there with or without appreciation for the betterment of a society that is doing its best to self-destruct.

-syfr

I am not in any way passing judgment on Laila Kazmi’s effort in projecting women from Pakistan who are making efforts to change things in a country, where laws are being created to impede and curtail women’s progress.

I have seen some of Ms. Mehreen Jabbar’s work. I doubt that I am a qualified film or movie critic, but I could not distinguish her work from other mediocre work that is being done in tele-movies and drama field by many other male producers and directors in Pakistan.

After reading Ms. Kazmi’s write up and going thru MS. Jabbar’s interview, it seems to me that Ms. Jabbar has no intentions of being different than many other commercial producers and directors. So she really does not have any distinction besides being a woman producer.

Often we forget that there are many others, may be thousands of women, in Pakistan that are doing some pioneering work in the social sectors especially in rural areas with some NGOs. The only problem is that they don’t have the kind of middle class background that Ms. Jabbar has for recognition.
Ms. Jabbar had excellent resources to jump-start her career but what if she did not have those resources? Would we still be reading about her?

There are some other women in the show biz industry in Pakistan who have made some excellent progress in the industry w/o having a distinguished background. Ms. Mira and some other female artists have survived in environments that probably are abhorred by Ms. Jabbar. I feel that their achievements and accomplishments deserve more recognition as they are from somewhat less privileged background.

At least Ms. Mira or women like her did not have anybody to sponsor their tickets to some two-semester diploma in some college in the USA.

Romair:

Mehreen grew up around Pakistan`s show business. Her father is a filmmaker himself who has also been running a highly successful advertising agency for about 30 years which is where Mehreen got her first exposure to the television world.

to add to above:

Mehreen’s father is Javed Jabbar (formerly of MNJ Advertising) and CEO’s first information minister.

``Her father is a filmmaker himself who has also been running a highly successful advertising agency for about 30 years which is where Mehreen got her first exposure to the television world.``

Is she the daughter of Javed Jabbar, who was a minister in Musharaff`s cabinet?

laila:

thanks for introducing another interesting person...

ignore my friend ras;)...just keep contributing profiles and interviews here

lve,

t

ps: ras!...ask P-L to pick them up from chowk with credit:)

I visited Jazbah.org after reading this interview and it looks great! Keep up the good work.

her harjaee was interesting too, why no mention?

Thanks for your message! It is really great to see works of independent filmmakers from Pakistan who are making films and plays on very interesting topics even with the lack of technical facilitites. Hopefully, filmmakers like Mehreen Jabbar will attract some local and international attention and encourage investment to help artists who are trying to convey their message in a creative style and in turn improving Pakistan`s art film scene.

Film, after all, is a powerful medium and can be an important tool for bringing togethor communities.

-Laila

Laila Kazmi,
let me tell you what a joy it is to read pieces like this.

You are encouraging people who can project Pakistan positively on the

international level. Mehreen Jabbar appears to have great potential.

Please keep up the good work and continue writing on CHOWK.

One typo ``Mehreen is also part of the team of indecent filmmakers``

marred what I thought was a wonderful review. Your writing has style.

I was recently contacted by a young man who arranged the Strings Concert

in Seattle. Would you be interested in writing for Pakistan Link from there?

Ras