The murder of child rights activist Iqbal Masih in 1995 made news all over the world. The 12-year-old Christian boy had been shot during the dead of night. He had been fighting against child labour, and more importantly, bonded labour in Pakistan.
28 years later, there is still a lot of mystery surrounding his murder. Some point the finger at the carpet mafia he was fighting against. Others say he was killed by the very NGOs which profited off him. “Gunjal” explores all sides to this story.
What is Gunjal About?
Gunjal follows journalist Shahbaz Bhatti, played by Ahmed Ali Akbar, as he investigates the murder of child activist “Irfan Masih”. The film makes it clear in the beginning that though this is a fictionalized account, the film is entirely based on Iqbal Masih.
Shahbaz is a young Christian crime reporter at the daily “Nayi Subah”, a legacy newspaper in operation since 1934. He’s hungry to make his mark and earn a good living. That’s easier said than done since Nayi Subah, is nearly bankrupt. The owner and editor, “Madam Sarwat”; played with composure and restraint by Resham, is at her wit’s end. Still, she encourages Shahbaz to pursue the Irfan Masih case and find the truth.
Shahbaz’s journey takes him through Irfan Masih’s village Muridwala (based on Muridke), the offices of the NGO “Organization for Bonded Labour Rights” (based on the Bonded Labour Liberation Front), and the elite polo clubs of Lahore.
What makes ‘Gunjal’ so effective are three things: the story, the performances, and the dialogues. That combination is unfortunately a rarity in most Pakistani films.
There is hardly a dull moment in the film. The story completely engrosses you from frame to frame. Its use of the Rashomon-style narrative to portray the murder from multiple viewpoints is hardly new. However, it’s effective.
‘Gunjal’ explores all sides to the Iqbal Masih story. The carpet manufacturing mafia and child labour syndicate angle is obvious. However, ‘Gunjal’ goes deeper into the potential nefarious designs of the NGOs that profited from Iqbal Masih’s fame worldwide.
The film also doesn’t forgive the media, as it points the finger at Shahbaz Bhatti’s character. He’s constantly on the hunt for a story, and rarely spares a thought for the victims of the game; at least in the beginning.
Ahmed Ali Akbar turns in a fine performance as budding crime reporter Shahbaz Bhatti. He organically shifts from a novice only interested in making a name to a journalist burdened by the murky waters of his profession. He has evolved into a very serious actor and we may expect great things from him yet.
Amna Ilyas plays determined NGO activist “Mehr” who worked closely with “Irfan Masih”. Ahmad Ali Butt plays “Salman Habib”, carpet manufacturer and political candidate. Other notable performances include Samiya Mumtaz as “Madam Najma”, a wealthy NGO owner, and Syed Muhammad Ali as Irfan Masih.
However, the standout performance is by the young Arham Khan as “Iqbal”. He plays a young boy who does odd jobs around the living quarters of Shahbaz Bhatti. He eventually forces Shahbaz to examine his own role in child labour in Pakistan.
The dialogue is crisp and tightly edited. Hardly a scene or a sentence seems unnecessary. And the one dialogue that echoes over and over “Bacheyaan diyaan Ungliyaan Dhaage che ni phasdiyaan” (children’s fingers don’t get caught in the threads) is quite effectively haunting. Their fingers don’t get caught in the carpet threads, but their lives do.
‘Gunjal’ is Low Budget Cinema Done Right
Low budget cinema is the need of the hour in Pakistan. Well made low budget films have the greatest chance of making their money back in theaters. However, often low budget features are very poorly made. Technical problems aside, the films are usually poorly edited, acted, and written.
However, ‘Gunjal’ emphasizes the base elements of cinema like the script and performances to its advantage. There are also no big technical issues to take away from the experience. The sound mixing is great (no booming scores drown out the dialogue) and despite its low budget feel, there is no “TV drama like” feeling to it.
The only glaring issue that I can point out is that the night scenes in the village fields are poorly lit. I couldn’t make out several shots even though my theater was completely dark. However, those scenes are mercifully short.
Why You Should Watch ‘Gunjal’
‘Gunjal’ is one of the year’s best films. It’s a narratively strong, technically sound, and well acted feature. You don’t usually get all 3 in Pakistan. And it’s done on a low budget to boot. We need more films like this which don’t just entertain the masses, but educate them. Kudos to Ahmed Ali Akbar for choosing this film after ‘Laal Kabootar’. I’d dare say, ‘Gunjal’ is even better. Only, it doesn’t have Mo Azmi’s beautiful cinematography.
Gunjal is in theaters now.
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