Daily Times

Amna Mufti is not only a screen-writer who has scripted projects like “Akhri Station” and “Uloo Baraaye Farokht Nahee” for the Pakistani drama industry, but is also one of those very few novelists from South Asia who fear the disastrous consequences of an indifferent attitude towards the environment.

With her latest novel on water crisis, “Paani Mar Raha Hai”, Mufti has not only contributed to the bourgeoning field of Literary Environmental Studies, but has also proven that creative writers are not always oblivious to their surroundings. However, when asked if every writer should be aware of the looming environmental crisis, the dramatist and novelist said, “Writing does not come with a curriculum, teaching what should and should not be written. Therefore, we cannot say that it’s imperative for every writer to write on the environmental crisis. But yes, it won’t be wrong to say that it would be better if writers would come out of their own worlds and look around them. Writers have the ability to bring a change in the society, so a knowledge of the environment and its representation in creative works would enlighten the people and the number of planet-savers will increase.”

When asked about her own inspiration behind “Paani Mar Raha Hai”, Amna Mufti said, “My whole life was the inspiration. I made no plot for it. The scenes and the situations came into it the way I had witnessed them. I used to live near Sutlej, and I saw it shrinking. My current residence is near Bias, and I have watched that turning into a ruin as well. As a result of what we are doing to our water-bodies, we don’t see a variety of birds and animals anymore. I have never understood water-policies. While dams seem abnormal to me, I also believe that migrations carried out in the name of food have played havoc in history. Generations have suffered owing to our desire to control nature. We divide water-bodies without realizing that they are not ours to rule upon. Lands, rivers, sees and forests are not for humans to dictate. Have you ever asked a bird to migrate till Wahga Border and come back? Can you?”

Daily Times asked a few more questions from Amna Mufti, which are as follows.

What did you want to be as a child- a dramatist or a novelist? What do you enjoy more?

I had never thought of becoming any of these as a child because back in the times when I was a child, writing wasn’t considered a proper profession. All the same, I wanted to achieve something different than other women, who would mostly go for medical sciences or teaching. I wanted to be a scientist, my inspiration being Madam Curie. My becoming a writer was not planned.

How did you enter the drama industry and which was your first drama serial?

I was already into short stories and had written two novels. One day, for a change, I decided to write for the screen. I called Noor-ul-Huda Shah who asked me to send her my stories and their one-liners. Meanwhile, a friend of mine also told me about Babar Javed. I sent him a message through Facebook. He instantly responded and without beating about the bush, said that he wanted to work with me. I was asked to submit a story. A few of my ideas were bought but I was inclined to write something catchier from a commercial perspective. That was when I wrote “Ek Hatheli Pe Henna”. It wasn’t entirely my writing, but a project involving mutual discussion on multiple scenes. Then I gave the idea of “Jahez” which was readily accepted and became a huge success, introducing me properly to the drama industry.

Which drama serial of yours do you consider the most popular and why?

“Jahez”, as I just mentioned, garnered a lot of fame. Besides that, “Uloo Baraaye Farokht Nahi” also received critical attention and appreciation. So, both are my popular serials, as both of them attracted two different sets of audiences. It’s difficult to decide between these two.

When asked about her own inspiration behind Paani Mar Raha Hai, Amna Mufti said, ‘My whole life was the inspiration. I made no plot for it. The scenes and the situations came into it the way I had witnessed them. I used to live near Sutlej and I saw it shrinking. My current residence is near Bias, and I have watched that turning into a ruin as well. As a result of what we are doing to our water-bodies, we don’t see a variety of birds and animals anymore. I have never understood water-policies. While dams seem abnormal to me, I also believe that migrations carried out in the name of food have played havoc in history. Generations have suffered owing to our desire to control nature. We divide water-bodies without realizing that they are not ours to rule upon. Lands, rivers, sees and forests are not for humans to dictate. Have you ever asked a bird to migrate till Wahga Border and come back? Can you?’

Screen-writing involves a lot of technicalities. Do these technicalities create hurdles for you when you are in your flow of creating a story?

Yes, drama writing is an extremely difficult task, especially for beginners. Writing is not as simple as we think it is. It is, no doubt, a narration of a story but not without its technicalities. Creating scenes and linking them with each other is an essential aspect of screen-writing. As far as I am concerned, I am never distracted by these technicalities. They come to me ready-made just like my characters and their dialogues. They are already in my mind when I am writing a story, so a natural connection is formed between drama writing and its craft, just like it happens in the genres of short story and poetry.

Is there any story which you still wish to write, or have you already written what was close to your heart?

There are stories which I wanted to tell and there are stories which I still want to tell. But let me tell you; while there’s a censorship out there, there’s a self-censorship as well. While we do write for the very purpose of conveyance and communication, there are things inside us that ask us to stay quiet and keep certain narratives at a distance. So yes, there still are untold stories, undeveloped characters, uncreated situations which I wish to put down on the paper, but in the end, we feel scared to speak about certain things. While it does seem that we are saying what has remained unsaid uptil now, we ourselves snub our thoughts by saying, “Kahee na jaaye” (better let it remain unsaid).

Every writer has his or her own way of creating a piece. Tell us about your creative process. When do you write, for how long do you write and what inspires you to write?

I don’t follow a particular routine, but when I am in the middle of writing a piece, I prefer mornings and sometimes night, though not very late into the night. This question has made me realize that I never write during evenings. The time of evening is an extremely beautiful one, and must be spent in observation instead of some other practical activity. As far as the duration is concerned, I stop whenever I feel I should. When it comes to inspiration, there are multiple stimuli. It can be a situation, a person or a character. A professor of mine, Shohrat Bukhari used to say, “Baat andar nahi hoti, baat bahar se aati hai. Andar tou sirf shakal di jaati hai.” (Inspirations are not inside. They are out there, only to be shaped by our inner talent). So, inspiration comes from everywhere, only to be wrought by God-gifted creativity.

Have you ever felt disappointed at a project of yours for not being represented the way you wanted it?

When you are writing for the screen, it’s a teamwork. It’s not how you alone see things. The story is handed over to the director who then retells it in his or her own way in accordance with his or her own perception of it. Then come the actors who also give their input to the story. All of these people are involved in transforming the written word into an enacted piece. In the process, much is lost and much is gained. I am not rigid when it comes to the presentation of my work on screen. I believe in my work and also realize that it has to incorporate the effort of all the cast and crew, who can differ from me because they too are creative artists.

What are your upcoming projects?

I have written a play for Kashf Foundation, the shooting of which has come to a halt owing to the lock-down. I am also writing a novel, but novels take a lot of time, even years. I also have a plan for a film but I am not contacting anyone until the lockdown comes to an end.

The writer is a freelance journalist and can be reached at m.ali_aquarius85@yahoo.com. He Tweets at @MuhammadAli_DT