Published by
Global Voices
Global Voices
Director Sarmad Khoosat speaking about the online relase of Zindagi Tamasha. Screenshot from YouTube video by Khoosat Films. Fare use. The Pakistani Punjabi-Urdu film ‘Zindagi Tamasha’ (Circus of Life), was originally scheduled for theatre release in 2020, but after numerous delays due to threats from religious hardliners, the film was finally made available to viewers on YouTube on August 4, 2023. Director Sarmad Khoosat says in the introduction to the film, “In the month of [Pakistan’s] independence), I am letting my film be independent and free.” Why was the film controversial?The 2019 Paki…