– Book Review: “Pakistani Cinema 1947-1997” by Mushtaq GazdarProducing an average of 60 films per year, the cinema in Pakistan holds a place amongst the top twenty film-producing countries in the world–however, there is little authorship on the tumultuous yet vibrant history of the cinema itself. There exists no one cinema in Pakistan that can be credited for the variety of films produced annually, but a number of them–including the Punjabi Cinema, the Pushto Cinema, the Sindhi Cinema, the Balochi Cinema, and finally the Urdu Cinema, all of which contribute to the growing film industry. In his book, “Pakistani Cinema, 1947-1997”, filmmaker and author Mushtaq Gazdar traces the history of the cinema that holds its roots in a pre-partition subcontinent, all the way down to 1997. The book is an intriguing read, especially for readers entirely new to the subject of Pakistani Cinema, due to its comprehensive yet detailed approach towards covering the history of film in the country. This is a brilliant addition, as the only other extensive record of films produced in Pakistan exists online, on a website called pakmag.net.

Source: Pakistan Today June 12, 2019 15:00 UTC