When the Oscar winner for the est documentary category was announced last Sunday, facebook and twitter updates went billowing up in Pakistan. Print and electronic media went abuzz with the name of the person who brought the accolade to the country - Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. And, why not!!! The trailer of her documentary - Saving Face - is enough to make even the most stonehearted whimper in sympathy; imagine what the 59-minute documentary would be like. No wonder. Sandra Bullock couldn help feeling as emotional as she did.Highlighting the grave issue of acid attacks on women in Pakistan, and the work of Dr Mohammad Jawad, the plastic surgeon working towards rehabilitating these acid victims, the documentary also won the hearts of the jury of the 84th Academy Awards, giving Pakistan its first ever Oscar. For Chinoy, the Academy Award may be a key milestone, as she said during an interview with MSNBC prior to the event, "The Oscar is he award; its not just another award." But its not her first one either. In 2010, Chinoy won an Emmy award for her documentary Children of the Taliban, which was based on child suicide bombers working for the Taliban. The mantra around which the journalist has based her career is even more inspirational than her achievement. When she became aware of the multiple social issues that Pakistan was mired in, she chose to return back to her country, believing that educated and able Pakistanis need to come back to bring a change in the country. And the message that her documentaries convey is even more propelling: that the problems that Pakistanis face can be very much solved rather than just moping about them. Thats why her Oscar-winning documentary highlights the work of Dr Jawad in great detail. Indeed, Chinoy has set a precedent for Pakistani women to aspire with, a role model who has shown that recognition and appreciation accompanies any great and cause-worthy feat achieved. Needless to say, the lady has set straight the image of Pakistanis as achievers and not just sufferers. But the worth of the Oscar victory and the true message of the documentary are what deserve equal credit. The main theme of Saving Face addresses a key issue that is often shoved under the doormat in the country. And for those who wonder what can be done about such issues, the example of Dr Jawad has been amply portrayed to show that there is a way to deal with every single predicament the country is socially mired in. As for the Oscar victory, the importance of informative documentaries comes under spotlight. In a country that has seen the media industry mushrooming at an alarming pace, documentary filmmaking has been quite ignored in the midst of talk shows, political banter, plethora of TV shows and borrowed concepts from the neighbouring country. Whatever little of relevant social issues is brought on screen is washed down by emotionally-exaggerated coverage with minimal focus on ways the issue can be resolved. By bagging the prestigious golden statue for the country, Chinoy has not only done the nation proud, but also taught in more ways than one the importance of doing something meaningful for ones country. It is up to us to choose a path similar to what Dr Jawad and Chinoy chose, or continue to complain about the problems without doing much about them.
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