Young Talent in Pakistan is really emerging as a strong force. People these days are more inclined towards short films, that are quick to watch and to top it all, great acting and strong storyline with a message makes it a treat to watch.
Hamza Bangash, an award winning Canadian-Pakistani writer and director, has directed a film title “Bhai”. It has been co-produced by Taha Sabri of Taskeen and Westbury Group and Carol Noronha.
“Bhai” is a short film about two brothers, one of them is on the spectrum of autism and he has an episode while he waits for his older brother to return from picking up their food on Independence Day.
The older brother watches his younger brother struggle from inside the restaurant and must decide a course of action. The story unfolds whether he will have the courage to help his autistic brother, or if he will ignore his plight.
In an interview with Dawn Images, Hamza Bangash told that the main inspiration of making this film was the struggles of his co-lead in the film, who plays the role of autistic brother and is actually a differently-abled person.
He also told that, “I remember watching the Pakistani drama ‘Phaans’, and was shocked when it was revealed that the autistic character turned out to be falsely behaving in such a manner so that he could get away with sexual violence. To villainise an already stigmatised community through the media infuriates me.” This motivated Bangesh to show an authentic depiction of it.
The creators have cast a differently-abled actor, Ayan Javaid, to play the lead. This is huge for the representation of differently-abled people in Pakistani media. Besides being an actor, Ayan is also an animation artist and musician.