SOS: May Day! It’s ‘Holiday’

By: Sohail Parwaz

First premise: All Christians believe in God. Second premise: All Muslims believe in God. Conclusion: All Christians are Muslims. This is rather an extreme but certainly ideal example of abusing logic and drawing a biased conclusion from perfectly correct premises. People do make logical mistakes and the conclusion drawn from the premises given here is also the same type of muddle, but with the difference that it is a deliberate one. An innocent mind would always forget that the propagandists deliberately manipulate logic in order to promote their cause. Not a single propaganda film in the world has been produced to date that does not base itself on the aphorism that “Everything is fair in love and war”. The comedy of errors is that every propaganda movie maker allows himself license to abuse logic.

Dean Devlin, a renowned Hollywood writer and producer and maker of ‘Independence Day’, while talking to the Pentagon swanked: “If this doesn’t make every boy in the country want to fly a fighter jet, I’ll eat this script.” A Disney executive involved in the making of ‘Armageddon’ proffered an assurance to the war veterans of the US army that it was going to be the biggest flick of 1998. Well these were not the only movies. There were many other films which were given military cooperation after ensuring their acceptability. Air Force One, A Few Good Men, From Here to Eternity, The Hunt for Red October, Pearl Harbor, Apollo 13, and Tora Tora! Tora are just a few in this category.

With every passing day, the actual theme behind the 9/11 plot was becoming clearer. By the time Americans and the rest of the world came to know who the real beneficiary of the ripened fruit of the twin towers was, it was already too late. Bushites had already managed to swing the results of the most controversial elections of American history in their favour. I must consider them real innocent folks who would think even for a moment that the screening of a cable movie titled DC 9/11: Time of Crisis on Viacom’s movie channel ‘Showtime’ on September 7, 2004, was just an accident. Those who happened to see that movie would bear me out that it was a made-for-TV movie likely to draw most viewers’ attention to the possibility that the time had come. The Bush administration had a convincing reason to turn to Hollywood to salvage the president’s declining popularity. Their pre-emptive strike took the form of a movie packaged to remake the historical record of the 9/11 attacks and re-elect Bush simultaneously. How strong is the propaganda?

Well it was proved during the first Iraq war, about which even the Americans say that though it was won in Iraq, it was undoubtedly fought in the CNN studios. When the CIA in the mid-1990s attempted to appear more open and began offering consultations and research assistance, the Research and Analysis Wing of India also started the same programme, but with different sources of financing and agenda. It main purpose was to attack from all the four sides. The nostalgia of Indian movies of the fifties and sixties is still fresh with many of us. The aromatic romance of Bhai Bhai, Awara, Anari and Barsaat is still unsullied. Can anybody recall perceiving any religious hatred, prejudice, intolerance and anger against Pakistan in those simple and slow black and white movies? Certainly not, but now all these evils have sneaked into Bollywood’s colour productions, slowly but surely, through the back door. Soon after the fall of East Pakistan in 1971, it became a fashion and a particular lobby devoted its wholehearted efforts only to this mission.

In the decade of the 70, it was just a low tune opus against Islam and Muslims only. But before long it turned into a loud symphony against the ideology of Pakistan, Islam, defense echelons and Kashmir quandaries. In the mid-nineties, Bollywood crossed every limit. It appeared that the studios in the surroundings of Bandra, Juhu, Worli and Andheri were running out of subjects. Hina, Roja and Bombay became the weapons of this ‘crusade’ on the cultural front. The deliberate and purposeful silence of the Indian government encouraged these adamant elements in Bollywood. What used to be talked about covertly was now shot and screened overtly. In a very idiotic and silly way, the Muslims were shown managing the underworld gangs and mafias while the top brass of Pakistan was shown passing highest precedence orders directly to the third rate sources and agents operating deep inside India. Thanks to the cellular industry which made this Utopian “handler-agent” interaction possible and easy for the Bollywood filmmakers.

Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of the worst that had yet to come. The Kashmiri freedom movement was picking up momentum every day. Inventive Indian minds decided to cash in on international events. The tragic incident of 9/11 was fresh in the minds and hence no other opportunity could have been better than this one. Suddenly the Kashmiris were shown as inhuman terrorists and psychopaths. The Kashmiris were described as animals instead of human beings. The viewers were forced to believe that the just struggle of Kashmiri freedom is terrorism and not a war of deliverance. The tempo of this anti-Pakistan celluloid campaign gained paced slowly but surely. By the end of the century it was at its peak. The successors of Dada Sahib Phalikay and Ird Sher Irani literally maligned the names of their predecessors. An industry which had motion pictures like Alam Ara, Anarkali, Amrit and Admi to its credit had now made it its religious duty to fill the market with venomous trash like Maan Tujhay Salam, Hindustan ki Qasam, The Hero, Dewaar, Sheen, Dressing Room, Dil Pardesi Ho Gaya, Dil Jalay, Dev, Agni Punkh, Zameen, Pukkar, Refugee, Sarfrosh and many more. It has now become a fashion to whack Pakistan, and disparage her armed forces/ ISI.

The irony is that the campaign is facilitated by the Indian sympathisers in our media files & ranks and the shameless exhibitors who can’t see beyond the money mounds. The Bollywood producers after being sponsored now started picking the courage and making heavy budget movies. The producer of Border, J. P. Dutta had become a VIP overnight. He was begged to cancel his English tour and make another wretched movie LOC Kargil, which was nothing more than a distortion of historical facts, and an effort not only to fabricate the war account but also to humiliate the neighbouring country’s soldiers through cheap dialogues. Honestly speaking, to me it seemed to be a never ending story. Recently, yet another Bollywood trash by the name ‘Holiday’ has struck the Pakistani cinemas. My sources in the Censor Board revealed that the Board objected on many parts of this movie which were anti-armed forces, anti-Islam and anti-Kashmir, however, strangely the same footages are still included in this anti-Pakistan movie and it is been screened freely throughout the circuits. A common and disturbed Pakistani is keen to know whether that exhibitor is some mafia head or the movie is being shown with the connivance of the government to please ‘Modi Bhai’?

Interestingly, the budget of these trash type productions ranged between Rupees 450 million to 600 million. Can anyone tell me who on earth would like to spend a big portion of his hard earned money on such non-commercial, non-formula, dry and so-called patriotic stuff? But the tragedy is that Kautiliya’s followers with candles in their hands, while chanting Aman ki Asha slogans, are desperate for peace in the region, nevertheless, with daggers up in sleeves. They haven’t backed off an inch from this venomous campaign to degrade Pakistan. The only change we can see is a change of strategy. Mud-slinging is now replaced by carefully drafted dialogues. After Maen Hoon Na, Yash Chopra’s 300 million’s release ‘Veer-Zara’ was yet another example of changed strategy, where the hidden hands didn’t lose their concentration and succeeded in not drifting away from their “national objectives”. Those who find Bollywood’s releases Pakistan-friendly must take a deep look inside to discover that the Indian nationalist filmmakers’ blitz against Pakistan on all the aforementioned fronts is still on.

I am failed to understand that what our apologetic government has done so far or doing on this front except for pleasing the fresh Indian government or doing excessive apple polishing? Alone, the Indian 35 mm propaganda may be taken lightly (which we shouldn’t) but as a part of greater ‘Breaking Pakistan’ plan, film tool in Indian hands should not be taken flippantly. If the Indian government, their armed forces and the RAW can openly support their filmmakers financially then what stops our government and the institutions from returning the favour more zealously? Why we are reluctant to make pro armed forces/ ISI movies? We have a rich history and thrilling accounts. Isn’t it criminal that in our own motherland we are reluctant to voice for our own soldiers and unsung heroes?

The Yudh (war) that started during the radical BJP’s tenure, after seeing the Congress’s supporting era, is still going on with the radical BJP, again back in the driving seat. I am failed to conceive the idea of having a peace process between the two countries, especially when the Indian filmmakers are walking with a high pace on celluloid stripes. War and love have the same rules of fairness. While knowing that, when I look towards the battlefield Pakistan’s apologetic regime and inopportune Lollywood, I hear just one shriek, “Hold your fire…Hold your fire!”

It really scares me and run a chill through my spine when I think for a moment even, that the Muslim League that had a feather of founding Pakistan, will unwittingly have the quill of its dismemberment even in its cap, too. At least I desperately pray not to see that ugly and horrible day.