#ReleaseJoyland: Twitterati Outraged by Govt’s Decision to Ban ‘Joyland’

A netizen pointed out that ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ also had a controversial scene of a man smoking scorpion dust with a sex slave chained to his bed, which was cleared by the authorities.

The internet is demanding the nationwide release of the new LGBTQ film Joyland by Saim Sadiq after the Government of Pakistan and the Ministry of Information and Broadcast barred its release for not conforming with social values and moral standards.

Director Saim Sadiq was anxious about its reception in Pakistan but he got his answer over the weekend. Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmed tweeted the letter by the ministry which labeled the previously certified film “uncertified” on Saturday.

 

The announcement has sparked outrage all over social media and Twitterati voiced their disapproval of the government’s decision. The sentiment has gotten the hashtag #ReleaseJoyland trending on the microblogging platform.

One tweep wrote,

Not embracing diverse stories shows our fear to acknowledge our own reality that we are a diverse society where different beliefs, cultures, experiences, and struggles exist.

He added, “Art speaks to the audience, and we are too afraid to have a conversation”.

Another netizen pointed out the hypocrisy of our industry with an example of the blockbuster film, The Legend of Maula Jatt, which had a controversial scene of a Punjabi man smoking scorpion dust with a sex slave chained to his bed.

The ban is not only depriving Pakistani cinema-goers of the film but is also hurting Pakistan’s chances at the upcoming Academy Awards as it was selected for The Oscar’s consideration this year.

Fashion designer, Maria B., was one of the people not in favor of Joyland‘s domestic release. She opined that it goes against Pakistan’s Islamic values.

Maria B.

Twitterati troll the designer and calling her a hypocrite while sharing some questionable pieces from her clothing line.

Another tweep also pointed out that Pakistan’s censor board has no problem releasing a sexually explicit film like Kundi Na Kharka but is offended by a film like Joyland that raise awareness about the struggles of Pakistan’s transcommunity.

Joyland has enjoyed great success internationally as it was the first-ever Pakistani competitive entry at the Cannes film festival. The film also won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard competition — a segment that focused on young, innovative cinema talent, and was the winner of this year’s Queer Palme.

Joyland’s cast includes the icons Sania Saeed, Sarwat Gilani, Salman Peerzada, and Rasti Farooq, besides Alina Khan in the leading role.

The film was slated for an 18 November release this week but it looks like fans will not get to see the film anytime soon. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.