This land is my land

My spate of movie-watching continues.

The plan was to watch an animated feature. But Netflix didn't deliver. So on the shelf was 'Khosla Ka Ghosla,' a Bollywood presentation.

Bollywood is undeniably way ahead of anything Pakistan could ever hope to match in the entire realm of entertainment. This was always the case, but the gap seems to have grown to a level where we have simply dropped off from the radar screen completely.

'Khosla Ka Ghosla' is a story of the ills of property dealings in India. The realism was so stark, it was jolting. And yet the story ran with just the right amount of humour and humanism. The production values are top-notch, and Anupam Kher has a sealing performance as a riveting phenomenon in Indian cinema.

But most interesting was the performance of the State in matters where properties are usurped by the land mafia thorugh brute show of force. It's as if the entire government machinery is overwhelmingly appreciative of such bullying tactics. And there is not a whimper of protest against such injustice. Pakistan's property markets are exactly like that, if not worse. But the question is why isn't there a solution to this circus of swindling? Perhaps a more relevant question would be who and what is involved in the actual act of usurption of property that a greater windfall is expected in letting the illegal act stand than from correcting it?

I don't have any answer. Good night.