After the movie was banned, the hashtag #ReleaseJoyland began to trend on Twitter. A number of Pakistani showbiz celebrities have spoken out in favour of the movie. Malala Yousufzai, who served as the movie’s executive producer, wrote an article about what it portrays.
“Joyland is not activism disguising as art; it doesn’t argue for a certain point of view or issue a call to action,” she wrote in her exclusive piece. She went on to say that each character in the movie demonstrates compassion. From the grandfather who forces his way on the family to the young woman who demands more than the men around her are ready to provide, the movie portrays every character with compassion.
She went on to analyse the movie, stating, “It’s a movie about how patriarchy damages everyone – men, women, and kids. It is a movie on the calming effects of female solidarity and friendship. It’s a movie about the price we pay for giving up on our own goals in order to fit in with the rest of society.
The author also stated that “Joyland is also a love letter to Pakistan, to its culture, food, fashion, and, most importantly, its people” in her essay about how movies depict the realities that people don’t always want to see.
She ends by expressing her sadness, saying, “How tragic that a movie made by Pakistanis and for Pakistanis is suddenly prohibited from our screens because people say it doesn’t “reflect our way of life” or “portrays a poor image of our country.”
The movie Joyland will premiere on November 18, 2022. The movie is however remains prohibited in Punjab.
