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Genre Research

Genre 0f Attabad to Ajrak

The style of the short film Attabad to Ajrak is best described as a romantic drama, but it functions in the hybrid format that borders on the social realism, observational and inspirational documented film. Such a blend enables the movie to convey emotional tension, cultural identity, and landscape based narration in a subtle and complex manner. The genre of romantic drama is traditionally concerned with emotional relations, inner struggle, passion, and fragile tension. I have expressed this in my film by making the affection between Adeel and Mehak an unspoken one as the two are only connected by silence, eye contacts, and sharing of environments rather than by expressing their love. This is quite parallel to the traditions of South Asian romantic films, as many of them are based on suppressed love owing to the culture, such as The Lunchbox.

Genre History & Context:

The cinematic genre of romantic drama has its origins in the old Hollywood traditions, however, its contemporary manifestation, particularly in South Asian and independent cinema, has adopted a much more realistic, nuanced and symbolic approach in telling its tales rather than making melodramatic pronouncements of love. Similar to this, the British cinema produced social realism in the 1950s that dealt with the life of the working-class, real places, and real emotional conflicts. As time passed this trend was also applied to the film production of the world, South Asia particularly, and film makers like Satyajit ray, Mira nair and Sarmad khoosat started to apply naturalistic acting, non-professional actors and location shooting to depict real life emotional experiences. Also, there is the observational documentary style which is based on the cinéma vide verite, which focuses on silent observation, use of less interference and long, continuous shots. These traditions are heavily borrowed in my film.

Sub-Genre & Hybridisation The movie Attabad to Ajrak is not entirely a romantic movie, it is a cross-breed.

It blends:

• Romantic drama (emotional conflict, emotional attachment, desire)

• Social realism (naturalistic dialogue, real cultural situation, realistic behaviour)

• Observational style of documentary (natural light, ambient sound, actual places) this cross-breeding genre enables the movie to be emotionally personal and at the same time be rooted and authentic to culture.

• Genres Codes and Conventions (Narrative, Symbolic, Technical) Longing, separation, unresolved ending, symbolic object and emotional hesitation are narrative conventions used in romantic dramas.

  • My film mirrors this through:
  • The Ajrak as a symbolic item of memory, identity and connection.
  • The interrupted affair between Mehak and Adeel.
  • The tense romanticism that is not explicit. Social realism norms involve such elements as natural settings, low-key lighting, understated acting and natural dialogue. Long take, ambient sound, and unobtrusive cinematography are among the observational documentary technical codes. I use all three of them to establish a very solid and at the same time poetic sound.

Expressive Potential of Genre:

  • Cinematography: The long still shots, the gentle light of nature, the broad frames of the landscape, and close-up shots of micro-expressions can be considered the elements of both the romantic drama and the documentary.
  • Sound Design: There is no dramatic orchestral score, and sound is mostly ambient (wind, water, footsteps), which adds to the effect of realism.
  • Editing: Slowness of the editing, detached shots, soft transitions, characteristic of art-house romance and observational documentaries. Mise-En-Scene the lake, the clothes, the Ajrak, and the natural scenery are all indicative of realism and emotional symbolism.
  • Style of Performance: Understated, internalized acting- as is the case of the social realism drama.

Genre Themes:

The main elements of the romantic drama, such as longing, missed connection, emotional restraint can be found in the story. The film is affiliated to social realism through cultural identity, displacement and belonging. The influence of the observational documentary is seen in the silence, landscape, and natural environment as the inner emotion.

Genre Expectations by the Audience:

Consumers of romantic drama are supposed to be moved emotionally, to create a subtle tension, to focus on relationships between characters. The realism requires the viewers to expect what is real, genuine performance, and a representation of culture. The audiences of observational cinema anticipate silence of observation, lack of direction and closeness of the camera character relationship. My film satisfies all three.

The Uses and Gratifications Theory is applicable:

  • Personal Relationships: The viewers relate to the intimacy that is unspoken.
  • Personal Identity: The cultural representation gives the viewers, and more so the Pakistani viewers, an opportunity to see themselves reflected.
  • Aesthetic Gratification: Attabad Lake and Ajrak patterns are beautiful and therefore deliver aesthetics.

Why this genre is suiting Attabad to Ajrak:

The hybrid genre establishes the ideal equilibrium between emotional closeness, cultural sincerity, and pictorial narration. The romantic drama background provides the movie with the emotional background, whereas social realism provides the movie with the groundwork, and the poetic context of the movie is provided by documentary aesthetics.