BOL (SPEAK UP)

This week I happened to see a film, BOL (meaning, Speak Up). Bol is a movie entirely filmed in Pakistan's cultural capital, Lahore, and tells the story of a family overflowing with daughters and one son, born with abnormality. The family's income is on the rapid down slide and with time, mouths to feed increase sharply. The father regards women nothing more than objects and refuses to see or let his children see the light of the day. Abject poverty and a deep but rigid and illogical belief in powers of the Almighty and the religion by the father, makes lives of all family members miserable.

The opening scene shows the protagonist, Zainab (Humaima Malick) in jail, about to be hanged. Her mercy appeal is rejected by the President of Pakistan but her last wish, rather strange, to tell her story to the media, literally from the hangman's plank, is allowed. And from there rolls the flashback.

There are innumerable dark spots in our world. Underdeveloped countries are nightmarish places to live for women. Women there are subjected to unimaginable level of scrutiny and they live 'controlled' lives, monitored, dictated and brutalized by men.

Bol is an emotional and painful film. It questions the worth of a human being, be it a woman or a person born with a defect.

Brilliantly directed by Shoaib Mansoor, the movie stars Humaima Malick, Atif Aslam, Mahira Khan, Shafqat Cheema and above all, the legendary Manzar Sehbai as Haqeem (father). Performance by every actor is par excellence and I give credit for this to the director. Shoaib Mansoor had also directed another film in 2007, Khuda Ke Liye which earned over $ 10 million worldwide.

Bol was released in Pakistan on 24 Jun 11 and it set a new box office record in Pakistani cinema, becoming the highest earning film in Pakistan in its first week of release, breaking all previous records. The previous record was held by Shahrukh Khan starrer My Name Is Khan, which had grossed PKR 13.417 million in its first week, whereas Bol did a business of PKR 62.792 million in six days. In two weeks, the total gross revenue of the film had reached PKR 94.29 million. Bol also collected INR 2,80,00000 from 75 screens in India.

It is a thought provoking piece of art and you have to watch the film to judge its exceptionally high standard.