Zero IQ Thirty
Recent Hollywood blockbuster, ‘Zero Dark Thirty’, was quite an experience. Though sharp in its production and direction and largely accurate in depicting the events that led to the death of Osama Bin Laden, it went ballistic bad in depicting everyday life on the streets of Pakistan.
With millions of dollars at their disposal, I wonder why the makers of this film couldn’t hire even a most basic advisor to inform them that
1: Pakistanis speak Urdu, English and other regional languages and NOT Arabic;
2: Pakistani men do not go around wearing 17th and 18th century headgear in markets;
3: The only Urdu heard in the film is from a group of wild-eyed men protesting against an American diplomat, calling him ‘chor.’ Chor in Urdu means robber. And the protest rally was against US drone strikes. How did that make the diplomat a chor?
4: And how on earth was a green Mercedes packed with armed men parked only a few feet away from the US embassy in Islamabad? Haven’t the producers ever heard of an area called the Diplomatic Enclave in Islamabad? Even a squirrel these days has to run around for a permit to enter and climb trees in that particular area.
I can go on.
The following is what I have learned …
Pakistan according to Hollywood
________________________________
America in the eyes of Pakistanis
Nadeem F. Paracha is a cultural critic and senior columnist for Dawn Newspaper and Dawn.com
The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
love it!
Another American propaganda about how wrong the world is and how right the Americans are… In the final analysis – the propaganda wins simply because Osama was found on Pakistani soil, a few kilometers away from a Military base
It’s typical of Americans not to do research on a topic but to go in straight with stereo types on a subject or as for that matter on foreign policy too. Iraq and Afghanistan come to mind as does Viet Nam. Blunders if you want to call a ten year war a blunder which would be a misnomer in all the cases. Killing innocent people in American language is just collateral damage. Killing people thousand miles away from the secure homeland is ‘suspected’ taliban when you blow up a wedding party. Nice.
We see the world the way we like to .. and this film is no different. I was some times amazed to learn that some of the free world people never believed that ppl in Pak could converse in their language. Biased, prejudiced.
Though satire many of those said above are having some realities too
NFP is finding his true value of his country in the world. My friend does’nt matter how ultra modern you try to portray yourself, the truth remains how the majority of ppl in Pakistan behave and what their thinking is. Just try walking the streets and ask a shia or a hindu ( if you find one) what he thinks about his security in the land of pure.
nice article except that you’re WRONG about Zero Dark Thirty providing an “accurate” depiction of the hunt for bin Laden. Very far from it. You should read the many critical articles written about just how wrong it is.
This piece reminds me of Edward Said’s Orientalism. Its all about how the other is percieved and I think this article does a good job in showing that.
This was made by hollywood so such misinformation was expected. But has anyone ever seen Agent Vinod.. I mean seriously, there is a totally waxed lady in shortest clothes possible trapped inside a sack just waiting to be discovered by the hero. Talibans hate such women, right? Why didn’t they execute her? ha ha ha!
then secondly everybody in Karachi was greeting Adaab Adaab to each other? When was the last time did you hear anyone greeting in such a way in Pakistan?
NFP its time you make a film, a hilarious film full of sarcasm blowing all the myths abt Pakistan!!!
I haven’t seen it but my dad has..he told me that the number plate of terrorists car was 0786…