Even before Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s 3 Bahadur premiered on the 22nd of May this year, most people – and not just children – knew that the feature film would take them through an unforgettable experience. Why is that? What is it that makes 3 Bahadur so special; more so than many other, arguably better animated features?
As most people would know, 3 Bahadur is Pakistan’s first ever feature-length animated movie, for which the entire production team deserves a huge round of applause. It was a risky move: the movie’s producers could not have been even remotely sure of having their efforts and investment paid off monetarily, primarily because the movie was recorded in the Urdu language. And this is exactly what made it so special.
The Storyline
3 Bahadur tells the story of three eleven-year-olds, Amna, Kamil, and Saadi, voiced by Muneeba Yaseen, Hanzala Shahid, and Zuhab Khan, respectively. Our three protagonists are inhabitants of a town named Roshan Basti (figuratively, ‘Enlightened City’) which has been darkened by the shadow of one Mangu, who controls it by virtue of his evil powers, granted to him by Baba Balaam. Shortly afterwards, the three leads receive superpowers of their own, transferred to them by Uncle Deenu. The rest of the story is a battle between good and evil, set in a society that isn’t reminiscent of ours, but actually is that.
Many of us must have heard such stories since our childhoods – the fairy-tales we read and the cartoons we watched, most of them revolved around similar Good vs. Evil battles. But not many – if any – of us would have seen an animation so true to our own society.
From the story, to the language to the environment, 3 Bahadur is drenched in Pakistaniat
Truly Pakistani
From the story, to the language to the environment, 3 Bahadur is drenched in Pakistaniat. All the characters have a very native feel and look to them – from their clothes to their body language – and the setting – from the black and yellow taxis, to shop shutters painted with “gluco” – was a perfect animated recreation of urban Pakistan. Even the social issues presented by the film’s producers are genuinely Pakistani. And of course, it helps that the characters speak our national language, throughout.
Let us also not forget, that since it was in Urdu, the movie – together with all the entertainment it provides and the social message that it delivers – is accessible to more of the general public. Even for a majority of those proficient in the English language, watching an animated film in their mother tongue would certainly have been a thrilling experience.
Animated features like 3 Bahadur are an absolute essential in the lives of Pakistani children
The Animation
3 Bahadur is not only an animation, it is a 3D animation, an achievement for which Waadi Animations deserves much appreciation. For Pakistan’s first ever animated feature, the movie was extremely impressive. The effort put in by the animators – the artists and the technical staff, combined – to create the computer-generated animation was clearly visible in the end product. As has already been stated, the fact that the animators made an effort to give things a distinctively Pakistani feel – which many of our recent hits, Waar, failed to do – is highly commendable.
However – since no improvement is possible without criticism – when compared to the works of international heavyweights of animation, there is still room for improvement. But it is very reassuring for a lover of animated movies to know that, in the very least, organizations from our own country are on their way to locking horns with the likes of Disney and Pixar.
Why Watch It: The Message and the Environment
Sceptics might argue that the message conveyed by 3 Bahadur is the standard message delivered by fairy-tales for thousands of years: be good, and fight evil. Sceptics might also argue that there are a plethora of instructive stories and cartoons that teach our children good values. Pinocchio tells them not to lie, while Little Red Riding Hood teaches them not to trust strangers. Modern animated features like Monsters Inc., for instance, teach them to value and honour friendship. Then what makes 3 Bahadur so special – surely we’ve heard it all before?
The answer, quite simply, is: no, we haven’t. Animated features like 3 Bahadur are an absolute essential in the lives of Pakistani children. Why? Because they would educate them about the problems of their own country, not of 19th century Germany. They inform them of the evils that our countrymen have adopted, which is the main reason our country isn’t as prosperous as the First World. 3 Bahadur not only teaches them all that is going wrong in our society, but also gives them the courage to fight against it. Because this time, for a change, it isn’t a Ben Tennyson or a Harry Potter who is fighting the “bad guys” but an Amna, a Kamil and a Saadi.
Believe it or not, that makes a difference.