Hatak: Introduction, Analysis And Film Screening
Based on a short story by the famous Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto, of the same title, Hatak (Indignity) tells the story of Peeno, a prostitute in her mid-thirties. Defying the bitter experiences and the harsh surroundings that life has dealt her, the fire of Peeno’s feminine warmth refuses to extinguish. Her potent feminine energy does not allow her to occupy the analytical mind for long, it immediately pushes her in the body and grounds her in the emotional realm. Her insatiable capacity to give love makes her vulnerable before egotistical men who bewitch her through their honeyed words, until one eventful night she is meted out extreme humiliation by one of her potential clients. Now consumed by fierce vindictive rage she sets out to tame the masculine. She will refuse to play the game anymore, expose her swindling lover and bring him to his knees. But will her short-lived conquest of a world destitute in humanity take away her inner sadness?
This short film screening session will be followed by a literary critique of Manto’s story and film review by Dr. Ravish Nadeem and Aamir Raza.
About the Director:
Danyal Rasheed’s recent film projects include: Noor (2012), a Walnut Tree (2015) and Mela Chiragan: A Few Rhymes (2018). For Noor, a feature length road movie about the identity crisis of a trans man, Rasheed was first Assistant Director, and in 2012 the film showcased at Festival du Cannes. Whereas the feature length documentary, A Walnut Tree, for which Rasheed was cinematographer, takes us into the heart of the internally displaced persons’ camps of the war ridden FATA region, exploring themes of justice, trauma and desperation. A Walnut Tree premiered at IDFA in 2015. Mela Chiragan: A Few Rhymes delves into the ever evolving forms of devotional ritual, particularly as experienced during the annual mela held at the shrine of sufi saint, Shah Hussein in Lahore, Pakistan. Mela Chiraghan premiered at Sharjah Film Platform 2019.