Pakistani Film Poster Art

The Pakistan film industry in its heyday in the 1970s was producing upward of 100 films annually making it one of the largest in the world and arguably the largest of the Muslim world. Despite the fact that the Pakistan film industry has produced a staggering number of images they have not been studied in any great depth. Little is known of the earlier painters or of their work. This article looks at these posters as a form of popular art that is colourful, innovative and unique in its creativity. The history, technique and impact of this popular art form is analyzed through secondary research as well as primary ethnographic fieldwork that was undertaken between 2010 and 2012 in Lahore. The article also charts the rise of hand-painted posters as a means of advertising and proceeds to examine the representation of different genres of films in the posters. The development of this vibrant indigenous art form is looked at through the eyes of “master painters” and their experiences through the different decades of Pakistani cinema. The article concludes with an account of the decline of this unique art form as resulting from the overall contraction of the industry and the technological changes that saw digital prints replace hand painted craftsmanship.