Lawrence of Drigh Road: Flashback to Karachi's past
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Matteela Films presents a short film in stop motion based on the letters of TE Lawrence that he wrote during his stay in Karachi in early 20th century.
We had set out to make three short films based on different narratives from the history of Karachi (watch the first one here), and plenty of heated discussions were had between the scriptwriter/researcher Irfan Khan and myself the producer/director as to what we would cover.
The story of TE Lawrence is quite unique and fascinating in many respects. As my scriptwriter put it, Lawrence is a very enigmatic character not only for his almost legendary role in the 1916 Arab Revolt but also the later period of his life which is relatively less scrutinised.
Most of the Raj narratives we hear about are of British administrators and their development projects in Karachi. Unfortunately, this type of narrative takes away the human element that brings history alive. There are only a few intimate, personal accounts of the city that can be found in the form of diaries, letters, etc.
In the case of Lawrence, we are lucky that a large number of letters that he wrote to friends and family have been collected. His biographers mention that he was stationed in Karachi between January 1927 and May 1928.
His letters from Karachi reveal the human side of a person running away from fame; his literary pursuits; and a life full of melancholy and solitude that he chose himself.
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