Why Maalik And Udaari Got Banned In The First Place

Why Maalik And Udaari Got Banned In The First Place

A few months back, with the release of Maalik, the army aspect featured in the movie excited me. I am sure most of the pro-army people can understand my infinite love for the army. Then suddenly we heard that Maalik got banned and the shortest review of the movie was that “politicians ke khilaaf thi, is liye unho ney band karwa di”. Well not just the politicians, but everyone’s real face was shown through the movie. Everyone was featured in some way, you, me, our parents, our relatives, our friends, our government, everyone. Same is the case with a drama series on air: all of a sudden the biggest scandal on tv was Udaari because we as a community could not handle the filth that shadowed our society. It has been rightly pointed out that “many people would be scared if they saw in the mirror, not their faces, but their character”.

Ladies and gentlemen, the movie was not just about the people we elect or appoint, it was about a woman who sacrificed her life, because her husband was on duty to protect the country. It was about a girl who had to leave her hometown to have a normal life without the constant threat of shelling, bombs and bullets. It was about a woman who got raped by the chief minster of her own province. It was about that woman who got raped and killed just because she was different from a typical traditional woman. The movie was about a family which struggled to bring a change in the country but in the end lost its women. It was about the youth of our country who are being belittled by a few ‘sane and over-smart’ people in our country, the ones who sit in their peaceful rooms criticizing the very same army that suffers endless injuries and traumas that scar it for life.

The movie was banned because it showed us what bubble we are currently living in. We are being used as puppets by our politicians. We would also vote every year for the same politician who rapes a woman probably every night under the blanket of darkness and horrifying silence.

The movie was banned so that we all remain deaf in the presence of loud slogans that keep roaring every now and then in every jalsa. It was banned so that we are unable to see how a prime minister or chief minster confidently takes oath in front of Quaid-e-Azam’s picture declaring “insaaf karunga” but never fails to disappoint us. It was banned because it showed how authorities wrong us and at the same time pretend to be our helpers. It was banned so that we do not realise who the real culprit is. The movie showed those insensitive people who bully and treat their maids like public property since they’ve bought them for rupees 5000 on a monthly basis. It was about the brother who tried to take the law into his own hands because the law authorities failed to help him. It was about lives being tortured and slaughtered in the name of power.

The reason for Udaari and Maalik to be banned is pretty clear because we try to ignore profanities like child abuse, power abuse, woman abuse and sexual abuse. We start getting uncomfortable when they are being talked about but we are completely fine with them actually taking place.

Even our religion directs us to at least talk about such evils and condemn them for being wrong, even if we cannot really do anything about them otherwise. We all have probably forgotten that “awaam ki taqat sab se bari taqat hoti hay” maybe that is why issues get banned instead of getting resolved.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of CourtingTheLaw.com or any other organization with which she might be associated.