AN ASIAN director will be showing his film which was famously banned in Pakistan at an event in central London this weekend.
Jamil Dehlavi fled to the UK after his film The Blood of Hussain was banned by then president General Zia ul-Haq after he seized power in a military coup in 1977.
The film depicted a fictional revolt, which Pakistan’s military leader believed did not portray him in a favourable light.
Recalling the events as a “traumatic” chapter in his life, Dehlavi said he was forced to give up his passport and eventually came to Britain.
The filmmaker will be in conversation about his work, as well as introducing screenings of his early movies at the British Film Institute’s (BFI) Southbank this weekend.
Admitting to Eastern Eye that he rarely revisited his work, Dehlavi said he was most excited to explore his two earliest films The Blood of Hussain (1980) and Towers of Silence (1976), a surrealist work on a young boy’s obsession with death.
“A lot of passion went into those films,” he revealed.
Britain was a familiar country for Dehlavi as he had studied at the University of Oxford and lived in Europe and beyond.
“My father was in the Pakistan foreign service, so we travelled a lot – which meant I was used to living between two countries,” he added.
Eventually returning to Pakistan when Benazir Bhutto was elected in the late 1980s, Dehlavi made a Karachi-set film Immaculate Conception (1992), about a Western couple who, desperate for a child, visit an ancient shrine known for “curing” infertility.
“It was great to go back,” he recalled. “Having travelled so much, I’m used to switching from one country to another.”
Dehlavi, who has spent a long time in the film industry, particularly in Pakistan, revealed that he hoped a new kind of cinema would emerge from the nation. There are many young, independent directors creating a diverse range of works, he explained, but it
was not easy to make money, something which could deter filmmakers, who preferred popular genres that were more likely to make profits.
“Unfortunately, it is money that dictates,” Dehlavi said. “I mean, they’re talking about the revival of Pakistani cinema… I can’t predict it, but I hope that a new kind of filmmaking emerges because you get sick of these old songs and dance comedies.”
The independent filmmaker has a wide range of work showing at the BFI screenings, including avant-garde flick Born of Fire (1987) and political biopic Jinnah (1998), starring Christopher Lee as Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
Currently, he is working on a gangster-themed film project that he hopes to film in Karachi.
Dehlavi, who is fluent in five languages – English, French, Italian, Spanish and Urdu – admitted that growing up living in Asia and Europe meant he was exposed to foreign films throughout his youth. He believed this was a benefit in terms of seeing things from various perspectives.
“As a young boy, I had all the best of European cinema,” he said. “I had access to everything and I was addicted to film from a very early age. [Living abroad] was definitely an advantage.”
Talking about his style, Dehlavi said he found it difficult to pinpoint a description as his film reel was so varied.
“To do a sweeping generalisation about [my films] is not easy,” he laughed.
“Someone called me a maverick recently and I hadn’t really thought about myself as that, but then I don’t know, maybe I am.”
Between the Sacred and Profane: The Cinema of Jamil Dehlavi will be screened at BFI Southbank this Friday to Sunday (10-12). The Blood of Hussain and Towers of Silence will be released by the BFI on Blu-ray/DVD on 22 October.
AN ASIAN writer has explained how his new book makes Britain’s imperial past “accessible, engaging and thought-provoking” for a younger audience.
Award-winning author and journalist Sathnam Sanghera’s new book, Journeys of Empire, explores empire through 10 journeys he described as being “extraordinary”. Sanghera said his book, published last month by Puffin UK, is “a way of helping children understand how Britain’s biggest story still shapes the world today.”
“We’re not taught this history very well,” he told Eastern Eye.
“The empire is morally complex – sometimes we were good, sometimes bad – so, how do you even begin talking about it? It’s also contentious. There are millions of us whose families were colonised, and millions whose families were the colonisers.”
Teachers cannot teach what they themselves were never taught, Sanghera pointed out.
“There are multiple layers to why British people are so bad at talking about this history. It touches on race, misogyny and geopolitics. It’s easier just not to talk about it.”
And , the cover of his book
Following the success of his bestselling children’s title Stolen History, Sanghera’s this latest work continues Sanghera’s mission to write for readers aged nine and above. With a focus on human experiences, Sanghera said he wanted show that history is not just a list of dates or conquests – it’s a tapestry of stories that connect people.
Born in Wolverhampton to Punjabi immigrant parents, he began school unable to speak English. Later he graduated with first-class honours in English language and literature from Christ’s College, Cambridge.
He has since built a career as a writer and journalist.
His memoir, The Boy with the Topknot, and his novel, Marriage Material, were both shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards. Empireland, Sanghera’s exploration of Britain’s colonial legacy, was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non- Fiction, named a Book of the Year at the 2022 National Book Awards, and inspired the Channel 4 documentary series Empire State of Mind.
His first children’s book, Stolen History, introduced young readers to the complex and often overlooked realities of empire. With Journeys of Empire, Sanghera aims to go further. “When I finally learned about the British empire, it changed how I saw myself, how I saw Britain, and how I saw India,” he said.
“It seemed obvious that you’d want to give this gift to young people – because your 40s is a bit late to be learning all this.”
Sanghera said the 10 journeys in the book take readers across continents and centuries, revealing both the ambition and the brutality of empire.
“The British empire covered a quarter of the world’s surface and a large portion of its population. It was seven times the size of the Roman empire,” he said.
Aiming to ensure diversity in both perspective and geography, Sanghera said he chose stories from various countries and different phases of the 400-year history.
Alongside India and Mahatma Gandhi, readers will learn about Guyana’s indentured labour system, Gertrude Bell’s adventures in Iraq, and the British invasion of Tibet led by Francis Younghusband.
“I wanted to highlight areas often left out of mainstream narratives,” the writer said. The stories are written with an accessible and honest tone, and with humour.
“Violence is a tricky area,” Sanghera said. “You can’t go into graphic detail, but you also shouldn’t whitewash it. The violence and racism of colonialism were intrinsic. “I tried to strike a balance - acknowledging the brutality without overwhelming young readers.”
Writing for children isn’t much different from writing for adults, Sanghera said.
“You still need engaging stories and to hold attention. The main thing is to avoid big words that might put them off.”
He pointed out how storytelling can counter the allure of digital screens.
“Kids are addicted to screens, and reading rates are falling globally. That’s disastrous for mental health, intellectual development, and politics,” he said.
“When you get news from screens, you’re in an echo chamber – you’re not being challenged or taught to think in a nuanced way.”
Sanghera’s hope is that stories of Journeys of Empire – from pirates to princes and explorers to rebels – will draw in young readers to a world of curiosity and reflection. He said, “The British empire is a complex story. Even the ‘good guys’ had flaws. That’s what makes it worth understanding.”
At the heart of his book is a message about complexity and contradiction. “The empire involved slavery and the abolition of slavery. It caused environmental destruction and inspired environmentalism. We live in a world that struggles with nuance, but that’s what makes us human,” Sanghera said.
“My hope is that readers – kids and adults – learn that opposite things can be true at the same time.”
After six years of writing about empire, Sanghera said he’s ready for a change. His next book will focus on the late pop star George Michael, due out in June next year.
“I thought George Michael would be a nice break from empire. But then I learned that his father came from Cyprus - which was under British rule. The reason he left Cyprus was because of the British. So, even George Michael’s story connects back to empire. You can’t escape it, wherever you go.”
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