Daily Times

The Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation (ACF), Pakistan’s prominent animal rescue organisation, has revealed that ‘Aisa Hi Hota Hai,’ the country’s inaugural film addressing animal abuse with a ‘psychotherapeutic’ approach, is scheduled for release on June 16.

ACF, an organisation established by Ayesha Chundrigar, a psychotherapist-turned-animal welfare advocate, seeks to bring attention to the matter and promote consciousness. Renowned Pakistani actress, director and producer Marina Khan directs the upcoming film, which stars the talented Sania Saeed in a significant role. While the movie addresses the issue of animal abuse, Saeed emphasizes that its message goes beyond animals. She said, ‘We want to talk about how we tend to separate what animals go through from what humans go through… A lot of people don’t even think animals have emotions.’

Chundrigar, the mastermind behind the film, intends to challenge prevailing perceptions by using a psychotherapeutic approach to delve into the issue of animal abuse.

Leveraging her expertise in psychotherapy, she aims to unveil the underlying subconscious reasons and motivations behind harmful behaviours, emotions and thoughts linked to cruelty towards animals. Psychoanalytic therapies emphasise the importance of establishing a strong therapeutic alliance between the therapist and the individual seeking treatment. ‘This film is essentially about looking at animal abuse through a psychotherapeutic lens,’ Chundrigar explained. She highlighted the uniqueness of her approach, stating, ‘There have been multiple international films on animals, but I have never seen anything made around this particular way that I’ve done.’

Driven by her deep passion for the subject, Ayesha is determined to raise awareness and educate the public about animal abuse. Her goal is to use the film as a means to provoke self-reflection, initiate meaningful conversations, and make a positive impact.