Streets of Karachi is the directorial debut of California-based Pakistani filmmaker Shoieb Yunus. It is the story of a young Pakistani expatriate who returns to his beloved hometown from the United States. Upon arriving, he takes us on a journey. A journey into Karachi, also known as the City of Lights.
Director Shoieb Yunus brilliantly captures the luminous beauty of this amazing city. Karachi is a city of immense beauty but also a city of contrasts. On the one hand, we see the incredible cultural diversity of Karachi as the protagonist, played by Adil Murad, takes us through a myriad of holy sites including Hindu, Sikh, Christian, and Zoroastrian places of worship.
But on the other hand, Karachi is also a city of fear and insecurity. In the opening scene, Murad’s father, played by the legendary Munawar Saeed, watches a live news report of yet another terrorist attack that has taken place. This is a phenomenon that, sadly, Pakistanis have become all too familiar with. There is also a scene in which Murad and his friend, played by the exquisitely beautiful Nadia Hussain, are mugged by a gang of hoodlums.
And to top it all off, Murad’s disabled brother gets abducted. Karachi is also a city of apathy. In one poignant scene, cars drive past a man lying injured on the street. Murad’s frustration with the indifference of the passers-by is compounded with his incredulity with the apparent lack of compassion of those who practice the medical profession in Karachi.
It dawns on us that those who love Karachi do so unconditionally; there is the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of the city. And that is all part of Karachi’s inherent makeup. Streets of Karachi was written and directed by Shoieb Yunus. He is an auteur. And his intense love for the city of Karachi is made abundantly clear throughout the movie in much the same way that Woody Allen’s love for New York City can be seen in his work.
Shoieb Yunus does not shy away from portraying the seedy side of Karachi. Like Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets, Streets of Karachi is a work of art that tells a story. The story about a city. A city in which anything can happen.
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