Indian filmmaker directs Pakistan to the Oscars

PANAJI: "Pakistani filmmakers have a sort of twisted freedom and I say this because not everyone knows how to enjoy suffering and pain," says Meenu Gaur, whose film Zinda Bhaag - that she co-directed with Farjad Nabi-- is Pakistan's official entry in the foreign film category to the Academy awards after 50 years.
Gaur was at NFDC's film bazaar lending her expertise at the knowledge series session.The theme of the session was 'Local stories - global films'.
Not keen on hyping the fact that she, being an Indian, helped Pakistan to the Oscars, she says it was about people coming together to make cinema. "The film captures the ordinary life of people -the failure, aspirations, and frustrations of the young to find success in life when all the legitimate paths are blocked. It captures the Lahori spirit and humour, transporting you to the streets of Pakistan," she adds.
Bhaag also means fate so it is a subtle pun on the word wherein some people try and run away from their fate; some survive, others don't. She believes that this Oscar nomination is destined to help the re-birth of the Pakistani film industry which collapsed in the 1990s.
Speaking exclusively to TOI, she admits, "What we lack in infrastructure we make up for in commitment. This new zeal among filmmakers to do cinema is a positive sign and hopefully Pakistan will open up to the idea that filmmaking could be a viable business."