An Important Calculation
by Aamir Khan Millizai
4 minutes | Drama
A young daughter of the house taunts her young sister-in-law for not providing anything to the family in dowry. There starts a conversation between the two that how has the society fallen victim to materialism and failed to signify moral and intellectual capabilities of the people by preferring dowry to education and high intellectual standard.
“An Important Calculation" 2018
Language: Urdu
Filmed: Lahore, Pakistan
Directed by: Aamir Khan Millizai
Starring: Rabea Tahir and Amna Ayub
An Important Calculation
is a film that portrays what is possibly a middle class household. The “woman of the house” is making tea at the beginning of the film when her sister-in-law emerges from her bedroom wearing a “the world is female” shirt while giving a diatribe on how her brother could have gotten a better match. “Alina was much better” because her father was willing to offer ten lakh for the match.
The older sister-in-law sits down with the tea and cunningly challenges the notion that she does not bring value to the house, despite the accusations that she doesn’t do her housework on time or as expected. She calculates what her father invested in her upbringing to her college tuition. When the younger sister-in-law is not attempting to keep up with the tally in her head, she attempts to interject, only to be met with another number. The elder mentions that there are women who suffer because they cannot afford to pay dowry.
She poses the question of what a woman is worth, implying that the value isn’t just about her expectations to do housework for the entire family or even the education she might have received. The line “you’re a woman, too” brings tears to the younger sister-in-law before the elder says that she’s ready to leave since she’s seen as useless; valueless. But not before reminding the younger one that she should drink her tea before it gets cold.
In this 5 minute short, Millizai provokes intrigue into the social backdrop of dowry in Pakistan. For those unfamiliar with the tradition or how it places itself in Pakistani society, there’s much to learn about the custom.
Aamir Khan Millizai
Aamir Khan Millizai hails from Loralai Balochistan, Pakistan. He studied Film and Television at National College of Art, Lahore. He also holds a Masters degree in Economics from University of the Punjab, Lahore. Millizai likes to execute experimental films of different genres. He is currently working on a number of documentaries and films following multiple topics. He is looking forward to becoming a big name of Pakistan.
On making "Dead Hosts"
"There were two main reasons behind making this film: one was my personal wish to make a horror film; secondly, my little niece wanted me to make one for her. Making it was a mixture of multiple technicalities, indeed. As regards cinematography, we had a complete team of experts looking after various things like camera, sounds, effects etc." - Aamir Khan Millizai
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