Four years ago, Pakistani film-maker Shoaib Mansoor’s Khuda Kay Liye had the subcontinent gasping at his audacity in tackling the theme of terrorism in a country infamous for suicide bombers. Mansoor is back again—his new film, Bol (Speak), released a fortnight ago, holds out a mirror to a society which callously mistreats women, eunuchs, or anyone adhering to a contrarian belief system. Bol is not only bold, it’s also drawing mammoth crowds, raising as much hope of resuscitating the moribund Lahore film industry as it exhorts the suppressed womenfolk of Pakistan to speak out and free themselves from the shackles of misconceptions so often dressed up in religious certitudes.
Director Shoaib Mansoor
Bol has mesmerised Pakistanis as no other film before, boasting a record collection of Rs...
