Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy made Oscar history late Sunday, as she became the first Pakistani to win the coveted award for her documentary film Saving Face.
Chinoy’s triumph is, rightly, being celebrated with much vigour and the country’s prime minister has announced the highest civilian award for the filmmaker.
The film, which beat competition in the form of documentaries based on Japan’s deadly tsunami and the Iraq war among others, is the story of acid-attack victims punished by men and are then given reconstructive surgery by a British surgeon. Showing the real ‘face’ of the Pakistani society, where men resort to such heinous crimes, the film touched many a heart.
Back at home, a bill was passed against such acts of violence against women, last month. While the bill has been hailed as a great achievement, it remains to be seen how effective it will be in restricting violence against women.
By going on to win an award on the biggest stage of them all, Obaid has taken a brave step towards making it known that such acts are intolerable.
Will this Oscar win and the subsequent attention on the subject, help bring an end to such barbaric acts?
While it is unfortunate that it took such a humiliating subject to bring Pakistan its first Oscar, is Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Oscar win the biggest moment in the history of Pakistan’s arts and entertainment industry?
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congratulations Sharmeen!You have made us feel proud…..sky is the limit…Good luck!
First time seeing a Hindu woman from Pakistan do so well. Congratulations Ms Chinoy !!!!. Great job of highlighting the plight of women in Muslim countries particularly Pakistan.
Vik brother,
First get your facts right this has nothing to do with religion, until or unless you are talking about SATI (a common practice in India where widow is burned alive with her deceased husband).
Good work Sharmeen.
She is a Muslim, Chinoy can be a Muslim or a Hindu sir name.
Mr. Vik, This is an honor for Sharmeen Chinoy, regardless of her faith! Religion is a factor for those people who carry low IQs, and zero tolerance for any faith!
Pround of the fact that a lady wfrom Pakistan won OSCAR.
Religion(Who care) or country is irrelavent.
Congratulations MOHTERMA Sharmeen,I eatched you on tv in N.y
Surinder Singh Kade
Congrats to Sharmeen but wish she had achieved the Oscar on a more positive note. Anyhow, plight of acid attack women must not go unheard. @Vik She is not Hindu.
Just for the record she is a muslim. It shouldnt really matter whether she is a hindu or a muslim or christian or jew. Glad to see her work being appreciated.
VIK:
For your information Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy was born in Karachi to a Muslim family if religion matters to you that much!!!
It is possible to make that mistake as many Pakistanis have hindu last names.
Very Well Said
Not that it matters here, but just to set the record straight, Sharmeen is a Muslim.
why does it matter if sharmeen were a muslim or hindu?…highlighting a social issue which ails poor women in rural pakistan …and helping bring about some resolution to the problem is the bigger issue….we are aware of ghastly crimes that are committed in our countries..whether india or pakistan and a majority of our population stays silent…
sharmeen makes every pakistani proud….as it should any man or woman…living in any country who cares about violence against women, children or humanity
note: chinoy is a muslim family name in pakistan
Vik,
she is not a Hindu woman, if you do not know any thing first google it and then write comments. I think you hindus dont have your own news paper and you always read our news papers.
It is a very serious matter that this woman has highlighted, does it really matter what religion she is. Typical Pakistani reaction to dodge the barbaric nature of these acid attacks by bringing in her Religion. You should see yourself as the rest of the world see you Pakistan, not a good view from out here.
Nav
People like you give Muslims a bad name.
There is no need to take it a step too far and generalize against Hindus. Perhaps you can learn something from earlier responses of saner individuals?
I am both pleased and proud to know this victory. I wish Ms. Chinoy God’s Best in her future endeavours. I , however, look forward to seeing the Government and Judicial System of Pakintan to strictly enforce the law in this regard to end these acts of brutality which, of course, is condemned in the eyes of law and Shariah.
We need to recognize and congratulate brilliant team effort. This may be beginning of one of the ways to expunge many ills from our society. Oscar is recognition to topic highlighted, and how Dr Jawad is taking care of innocent victims. All the appreciations and praises for Ms chinnoy and her team. Keep the noble cause going and God will be with u. Many many congratulations.
I am extremely happy that a Pakistani documentary was nominated and also won. I am a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin and I was very proud of Pakistan last night when this documentary won the Oscar. It is very rare that we hear news from and about Pakistan that makes us feel proud….the match fixings, and Osama being found in Abbottabad….the list goes on. Well….I would love to get my hands on this documentary, I hope the Pakistani Consulate/Embassy in Toronto wakes up and takes action to promote this Pakistani documentary. I believe that this documentary alone will not bring an end to such barbaric acts because of the illiterate and ignorant masses of Pakistan, however it will save Pakistan’s face in the international media and hopefully raise awareness that good work is not only possible but also recognized. Now it is up to Pakistani government on how to take this opportunity and save our tarnished image.
Art doesn’t have political boundry. So congratulation from an Indian.
Thank you that is a sprite of friendship
Congratulations to Pakistan from India. To Sharmeen A HINDU Lady ? in the land of the PURE! WOW.
She is a Muslim lady, Chinoy can be a Muslim or a Hindu sir name.
@jagroop
Thank you for the delightful comment. Heartily accepted.
She is not a hindu, Chinoy is a common last name between hindus and muslims just like Roy is (among several others) a common last name between Hindus and Muslims
Congratulations Sharmeen!! Congrats Pakistan for producing such a talent!!
I haven’t seen the documentary but I can imagine it’s contents. It will have to be shown to every Pakistani so that it leaves a lasting impression and it will have to be done right away while still in the headlines. It’s tragic but hats off to Sharmeen and her crew!
Sharmeen’s achievement is outstanding. Congratulations, Sharmeen!
We do not bring shame to our country by exposing a horrible, despicable practice out in the open, we would bring shame if we stayed silent about it.
It is about time that we grew up and stopped focusing on manufacturing a pretty image to the outside world, but looked at the challenges facing our society head-on, and dealt with them.
The fact that around 100 acid burning incidents are reported every year is terrible. We cannot ignore this. The women in the film have been brave enough to possibly put their lives in danger, as they have told their story. Can we at least be honest enough to accept that we have a terrible problem in our society, and applaud someone’s efforts to bring attention to it?
I hope and pray that the Oscar for Sharmeen’s Saving Face brings increasing focus on this problem, and mobilizes efforts to solve it, and end this practice. Some people are doing something about it.. A plastic surgeon, several legislators and activists. We must appreciate these efforts, and see what we ourselves can do about it.
very well said Mueen, I fully in endorse your comments. we are all so very proud of Sharmeen.
We have failed both in our DEN & DUNA, may Allah help us to see the light and right path.
Very well put its good to see there are people in Pakistan with a positive attitude
Congratulations to Shermeen Obaid on her Oscar win. I admire her courage and effort to highlight a very troubling issue facing women not only in Pakistan but in many other primitive societies of the world where women are treated as not only inferior to males but almost subhuman or considered as merely baby producing and rearing or male satiating machines.
Thank you Shameer for bring this issue to the attention of the world. Hope it helps the disillusioned and self serving men all over the world realize how flawed their thinking is.
First of all, heartiest congratulations to Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on this wonderful achievement. Second, I do not think Sharmeen ever claimed to be “Showing the real ‘face’ of the Pakistani society” as you (the Dawn) have reported above. While this is a problem that we have, it is on the fringes, and although it is very, very tragic for the victims, it is not a widespread issue.
But then the real problem is not how long or short the list of victims is, but how insensitive the rest of us (the silent majority?) are to this problem. We find excuses against the victims. I think Sharmeen’s real contribution is to bring this issue to the fore. She has thrown the facts at our face.
I do not think this is Pakistan’s greatest achievement in arts and entertainment. The late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is (my views, only). But short documentaries are not supposed to be masterpieces in arts and entertainment. They aim at the social appeal aspects; and there I think this is one of Pakistan’s finest achievements.
The issue is not necessarily reflective of Pakistan’s image as a country but throws light on the callous and brutal attitudes of some people not only in Pakistan but in many societies of the world. The disturbing fact is that most of us stay quiet and unaffected by such brutalities, most of the perpetrators of these heinous crimes go unpunished and the helpless continue to suffer.
Hats of Sharmeen. At her age anything achievement IS an achievement, leave alone an Oscar. She part of that beacon that emitted light on an otherwise dark Pakistan.
The nation should be proud of you for bringing to shame those so called men of might who “bravely conquer the women folk”.
This is just the beginning lots more to be done to change the mind set of Pakistanis. Starting with education and improved economic condition, but all the same it is a welcome beginning. Congratulations to Sharmeen.
Why do we need to show our wounds to others in order to get their affirmations? Please understand that Pakistan’s image on international level is already too bad. This documentary has once again fortified the western stereotype about Pakistan being a land of brutes. This documentary may have won its director an Oscar but it has made Pakistan’s image worse than before. I believe while giving Sharmeen the Oscar, the host must be smiling through clenched teeth.
I would be glad when someone wins an Oscar for Pakistan by highlighting some good side of our society because there are a thousand good things happening in Pakistan every other second!
I’ve to second IRFAN. Just look at those suffering from last two years of flooding, is there any solid documentary about that? Does anybody know how much have they suffered and what’s the situation now? Why was this topic chosen by her? The purpose of defamation of Pakistan is truly the agenda!
Irfan, congratulation on being nominated the honorary president of Ghairat Brigade. Pakistan’s biggest problem is that most of its populace would rather turn their face in the other direction than discuss its problems.Hence the reason why we are in the current state. It is the mentality similar to yours that people resort to throwing acids and honor killing because some how they feel that they have been let down in the eyes of rest of the world.
A thousand good things happening every second! Can you please mention ONE?! I am Pakistanis myself but sorry I just didn’t know there are so many good things happening every other second, can you please mention something otherwise don’t discourage the good work others are doing for the hapless victims.
If anything, at least try and put yourself in the victim’s shoes and imagine what they have to go through. But you are more concerned about the ‘image’, what image? Image of a nation is defined collectively. And our image is of an extremist, brutal and abusive society especially intolerant of women and their rights. At least feel some shame like the rest of us are feeling then worrying about the image of our criminal society.
And we also need to rid this conspiracy theory mentality that we are Muslims and the whole word would just jump over anything that shows us in bad taste. Religion does not mean everything in the outside world, Pakistanis need to come out of their religious obsession.
Don’t agree with you totally. Pakistani people are very good people, they just need chance to show themselves. Only the religious obsession is stopping them to live life freely. Sometimes I feel Pakistan is better than India, when govt. brutality happens here. So I don’t agree that nothing good is happening in pak. however you last line is very true.
Don’t feel otherwise, it is just my thought.
Are you serious Irfan. This is the take home message for you? Speaking about injustice takes lot of courage, brushing it under the carpet is easy. Lets look the other way and problems will disappear. Wonderful philisophy. No wonder women are killed to “protect family honour” everyday, minorities are harrased and killed, people who speak against injustice are killed by Muslim extremists and society keeps quiet. Problems do not go away by not talking about them, in order to find remedies to our problems we have to acknowldge that e have problems.
I wholeheartedly agree with you! Western countries always reward Asians and Muslims when they are affirming negative stereotypes that they already have about them. Why aren’t they making documentaries about dates rapes and domestic violence in the US? How many documentaries have we seen on that subject? How would Americans feel if Pakistan starts rewarding people who air America’s dirty laundry? I’m afraid, Ms. Chinoy has been used by anti-Pakistan propagandists to portray pakistan as a land of extremists and brutes.
West is always ruthless in bring their ugliness on surface. They talk and do not hide. We hide and do not talk. This is our centuries old tradition. Remember those school days the one who keeps his head down and does not ask question was the favorite.
My point was that we should air our dirty laundry within our own country; why take it overseas to win rewards? Why do we always use the West to bring about social change? Why can’t we change such practices on our own?
all of u sound like ur burning that she won the oscars
Dear Irfan
Why are you so worried for the criminals who throw acid on the innocent faces? You should take pride that one of us showed the world that we abhor such acts.
she did highlight the good..she spoke about a British pakistani doctor who returned home due to a patriotic calling, about a female lawyer who stood up for these women, about female politicians who get the bill against acid throwing passed in parliament…it’s a story about hope, about the good overcoming the bad in Pakistan…get over your pessimism and be positive for once in ur life, for God sake
Well said. There is nothing ugly here. Looks like most of us who are commenting here have not seen this documentary.
most of us dont even heard about this untill it got nominated or won in oscar…..
Hiding the crime and zipping the lips up,I think, is the biggest crime. Put yourself in the shoes of the victims and feel their sentiments only then you will realize exactly how effective is it to show the real face of the Pakistan society and what is the level of the pain for becoming the victim.For God sake, if you cannot do something beneficial then at least don’t discourage the others who are working to provide support to the affected women.This plague in our society is real and we have to face it.Hiding such sort of incidents will not earn a good name for Pakistan. I think Sharmeen has done a great work and every possible appreciation of her work is less.
Hat off to Sharmeen !!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are right: Good things do happen in Pakistan. On good thing is that an angel by the name of Muhammad Jawad flies into Pakistan and reconstructs the faces of the victims of acid attacks. His great work was documented in a movie by two other angels: Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. In the city of angles, Hollywood recognizes their efforts and awards them an Oscar. And you are worried about the image of criminals who launch the acid attacks on women? Shame on you.
Siddique Malik, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
Siddique hats off to you.
A fitting reply while shining light on the real issue, criminals who launch attacks and those who come to their aid. thanks brother.
For Irfan, you cannot hide the reality from the world. You did not highlight the good side of our society since I find it extremely difficult to understand what is good when it comes as a nation or as a society. there may be good individuals but when you talk of a country, what matter is majority. Those who ignore their own faults cannot hope to get better since it is only through recognition of reality and reacting to the facts one can think of changing something for the better. All that you have written is that we should simply hide all the criminal acts happening on daily basis. We should first of all try to be honest to ourselves and think of others.
What image brother…wake up please. Whole pakistan needs to wake up and get their facts right. Pakistan has no image in the world. The only image we have is of a corrupt nation….congrats to Sharmeen. Great job.
100 acid burns per year versus 1000 lives per day saved by Edhi. What is the real ‘face’ of Pakistan ??? What should have been highlighted more ??? I leave it up to the readers to sort that out. I am really happy that Pakistan received an Oscar, but at the cost of what ??? One of my friends abroad commented on my FB account after reading this article : “All Pakistanis burn their mothers and daughters. Let them all burn in hell”. The misconception was created in the third para of this article where the author says : “Showing the real ‘face’ of the Pakistani society”.
I admit that this is really a deplorable fact whereby ignorant people commit such heinous acts and they should be punished severely with life time imprisonment. So should be murderers and rapists. But it is another thing to highlight only one evil, which is in minority, and then to label it “the real face of Pakistani society”.
Thanks Sharmeen for making us proud and I hope you make another documentary in which you highlight the likes of Edhi, who are really making us, the Pakistanis, proud.
@ ALL Friends
Celebrating individuals at the expense of PAKISTAN is not right. It is very easy to show your amputated limb and get alms, but very difficult to be self-sufficient in spite of being disabled. Why do we so brazenly showcase our victims to the whole world? Can not we just help them and move on? Why this infatuation with others(particularly West’s) appreciation?
Irfan
I think you have some sort of Paranoia with the West and therefore you don’t even tolerate appreciation of good work from West and in this hatered for the West you do not want to improve or change.
Hope this Oscar win could have some positive impact on the Pakistani Society but I am afraid it will not change much. It is the mindset of the Pakistanis which needs to be changed and such changes are gradual and it will take quite a long to happen especially keeping in mind that we as a Nation are not doing much on this. How many people responsible for such heinous crimes really get punished?