“Gulco Allahyar and the Legend of Markhor”
By Perveen Ali
Photos by Farah Bhatti
The LA Premier of “Gulco Allahyar and the Legend of Markhor” was a unique opportunity to watch a beautifully animated Pakistani file in Urdu with English subtitles. Written and directed by Uzair Zaheer Khan who also directed the first season of “Burka Avenger”, the visually stunning and extremely humorous movie is a true labor of love from the talented team of 3rd World Studios. Screened to a packed hall at the Pasadena Public Library on September 23rd, a relaxing Sunday afternoon, by the Pakistan Arts Council, the movie was a tremendous success with the audience of all ages. Set in the northern regions of Pakistan, the movie aims to shed light on the preservation and illegal hunting of wildlife, with main characters Mehru, a markhor and Chakku, a snow leopard being the endangered species. The story follows Allahyar (voiced by Anum Zaidi), a young boy whose life is turned upside down when a
friendly Markhor named Mehru (Natasha Humera Ejaz) ends up at his door in a cage captured by the hunter Mani (Ali Noor) and his accomplices.
Taking on the task of helping Mehru find her way back home in the Mountains, they make friends on the way with Hero the Chakoor and Chakku the Snow Leopard whom despite their shortcomings are good-hearted individuals and sympathetic to Mehru’s situation. In trying to evade Mani the hunter and his buddies on their way to Mehru’s home, the group encounters a pack of wolves in the scary darkness of the night, but Allahyar never waivers in getting Mehru back to her family.
The film also has its shortcomings — the language at times is too hard for kids to understand (even those whose first language is Urdu) but the subtitles make up for that and there are a few jokes that might not be appropriate for kids. However, the cinematography, the quality of animation and the choreography of songs is as good as any Disney or Pixar production and makes you want to watch the film where animals speak Urdu and humans save them instead of killing them. It sends a message of peace, harmony, and bonding to help shape a better generation for Pakistan’s future.
The Pakistan Arts Council is affiliated with the USC Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. It is the oldest Pakistani organization in the Los Angeles and Southern California vicinity formed in 1991. Over the past 25 plus years, they have promoted the arts and culture of Pakistan by organizing exhibitions, book talks with authors, lectures, live plays, movie screenings, tours of museums, and related cultural events including partnering with Grand Performances, Pasadena Public Library, The Muckenthaler Center and others to showcase these type of events.
The PAC boards of directors share their passion for Pakistan and the vibrant, rich culture that it has. Their efforts come at a time when diversity itself needs protection with ventures that introduce the local audiences to a whole new range of culture and social life of a country and culture that's in the news for all the wrong reasons. For more information, please visit their Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/PakistanArtsCouncil.
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