That makes it a gap of almost four years. Why? "Isn't this the way one should make films?" she shoots back. "First of all I am creating originality. I pick up incidences from real life and weave them into my story. So all that takes time. Besides I need to completely do away with my earlier project before starting a new one." She further elaborates, "From day one I was very clear that I was going to cast a new girl for this film. In fact the film was ready to go on the floor but we weren't getting that perfect face to play Meher Hassan's role. I was in the States when somebody told me about this girl who is a trained actress. I met her and instantly knew that she was my heroine."

Dispelling the impression that her film has run into stormy weather and hence the delay, Samina clarifies "Shararat didn't take long in the making nor is it a very expensive film. Once the film was complete we were waiting for good cinemas to happen. And Yeh Dil Aapka Hoa, facilitated that. Javed's film has set the stage for our kind of cinema." Coming from an industry that thrives on backstabbing, such a statement about a rival comes as a surprise. "People have been trying hard to pit us against Javed, but he is a colleague. We come from the same background. I am happy and proud to see Javed's film doing so well. This is certainly the kind of cinema that we all want."

Inteha and Shararat right from their respective names to their treatments, don't seem to have anything in common apart from the fact that Samina's name shines as the director in both the films. "Shararat is a sweet film made in a lighter vein. Inteha was an emotionally, mentally and physically exhilarating experience. After doing such an intense film I needed to rejuvenate. So it was time to do some light work," she sums up her reason for not doing another issue oriented film.

Compared to the film industry, TV is a much more organised, established, credible and affordable medium of entertainment. In fact the impression that one gets nowadays is that anyone who has worked in a couple of serials qualifies to become the captain of the ship. Given such a flexible entry requirement into the league of TV directors, what would compel a Samina Peerzada, an Atiqa Odho, a Zeba Bakhtiyar or a Javed Sheikh to move to the jittery world of cinema, where "here today gone tomorrow" is the equation. "I hate to see people having such an arrogant attitude towards our industry. I have never been a speaker. I am a doer. I don't want to sit and talk at length about how bad our industry is. I would rather get up and do something about it. Cinema does have an aura, a magic, but I have other reasons to be here. Please don't count moolah here. Trust me filmmaking doesn't rake in half as many green bucks as TV does. I am here because I would like to create the kind of cinema that is different from what we get to see nowadays. I am stuck here is because I feel that I have not been able to create what I really would want to see in Pakistani films," she explains.

For a film that, according to Samina, brought audiences, who had abandoned them decades ago, back to the dingy cinema halls, Inteha had managed to earn good as well as bad word. Critics insisted that it wasn't an original idea (it reminded one of Sleeping With The Enemy and its Indian counterpart Agnisakshi). Many argue that with this film Samina fell short of the expectations that people had from a director of her calibre. One had to work hard to figure out aesthetic, novelty and sensitivity in her work in Inteha."I beg to differ with those who say that it wasn't an original idea. I had conceived this idea way before Sleeping With The Enemy and Agnisakshi saw the light of the day. Besides, I brought home the topic of wife beating with the film."

Regarding the second allegation she fires, "Right now we need to change the way a regular cinegoar perceives our films. He has a mentality much different from occasional ones like you and I. There is a lot more that needs to be done at the grassroots level including changing the psyches of the makers as well as the audience. No change comes overnight. It will take time."

Samina minces no words in holding the audience responsible for the plight of the film industry. "The audience has to realise that they have a job beyond sitting in their plush drawing rooms and cribbing about how bad Pakistani films are. They too have a responsibility. They would have to take the trouble to go to the cinema houses, see the films and then pass a verdict. If you can't get the time to see the films, then don't criticise it either. Until and unless you have not been into the cinema and do not know what is it like, then the films will only be made for those who go to watch them every Friday. When our class audiences don't want themselves to be a part of the target market, how could they expect films to be made for them?"

Being one of the few filmmakers who are in a position to work on their own terms, one wonders if compromise features in her scheme of things. How much would she succumb to the market demand and the virtues of commercialism?

"It depends. For Shararat, I had made it clear to the producer that I would do it on my own terms. Of course, one cannot afford to dismiss commercial aspects too. A film is like a product. It has to sell. I and my producer had mutually agreed to accommodate each other's demands. He wanted Shaan and Moamer Rana to star in the film, since their names add to the salability of the film. I wanted a new girl for the film, as the story required a fresh face, so my producer was willing to give me time to search for the new girl. Besides time, location, music etc, everything happened the way I had wanted to do it. So it has to work both ways."

Though Shararat is slated to be released around Eid, one can't see any promos or aggressive publicity campaign forthcoming. Our cinema might not be very progressive, but there's no denying the importance of pre-release publicity. "I am aware that we are lagging behind on this front. But we are still in the process of finding the right time and the right venue to begin the pre release marketing," she assures. Considering that Eid is just a few weeks away, one expects to see more hype coming from the film. In this case, the sooner the better.

According to the media reports Javed Sheikh is planning an international release of his film Yeh Dil Aapka Hoa, shortly. Is Samina going to follow the suit and give overseas audience a taste of Pakistani cinema? "I am planning a festival of my own films abroad. All the films I have worked in so far will be showcased in that festival. Shararat and Inteha both will be shown simultaneously there."

Considering that the overseas market is riddled with heavyweight Indian films like Devdas, Mujhe Se Dosti Karoge and many more following them, do Pakistani films really have a market out there? It is going to face a tough competition from Indian films and will certainly have a hard time making a niche in an already well established Asian market, a major chunk of which, is dominated by Indian films. "Well if we work really hard then yes, we can create a market. We need to work on the technical aspect of our filmmaking. Our post-production is very weak. Content-wise our films are good enough to qualify for any festival. Pakistanis and Indian, the two potential markets of ours, are basically very passionate people. They are game for passionate films that we make. I feel that it's just the post production that we have to work on since our imagery and content most certainly qualifies for the overseas market."

Talking about postproduction, it is as important to a film as the production itself. It can make or break the film, and the sad part is that our films are actually broken here. According to Javed Sheikh we are still using cameras and other production equipment dating back to partition. Samina doesn't disagree.

"Our studios in Karachi, Lahore will have to understand that not every producer could go abroad to get better technical facilities. Give us quality here and we guarantee you that none of us would go abroad to look for better postproduction work."

Sounds easier said than done. With import duty on even a simple camera running into more than a hundred percent who would want to import equipment from abroad considering that returns have to justify the cash invested. "I agree. We have more to lose here than to gain. The only solution is that the government gives us a five year tax holiday. People would only invest if their projects rake in money. I can guarantee you that this is the only way our film industry can improve," she assures.

A lot of directors complain about the confused status of the censorship policy here. Blood stained screens, unapologetic and anaesthetic display of flesh and disgustingly executed sex scenes go unnoticed, whereas issues that could actually pave the way for healthy cinema face an axe at the censorboard tables. Being a former member of the board, Samina has her own approach to the debate. "I feel we are grown up enough to have a rating system. Each filmmaker should have the liberty to make the kind of films he wants to, be it bold, violent or a tender love story. The censorboard should give each film a rating. Why should we make a younger audience go through a cinema which is meant for adults only." Arguing in favour of a rating system, she goes on to say that this system could actually compel the filmmakers to make films for a family audience. "Producers would certainly want to make films for a family audience once the rating system is implemented. This is where the market is. They will have to make films for the families if they want to earn. And doing so would certainly mean refraining from vulgarity. This will automatically wipe out mediocrity."

No matter how negatively our film industry has been written off, there are many a people who are waking up to the fact that they themselves will have to get up and strive for a change. A lot of migration has been taking place from TV to the film industry. Since the film industry has its own way of functioning, these people with a shining background in TV, may or may not be able to gel with those who are used to calling the shots in the film studios with a stream of gaalis. How can the two work together towards improved cinema.

"If the film industry does not learn from and mould itself to the changing trends now then whatever they are doing would be soon go out of business. It's encouraging to see the new breed of directors like Farooq Mengal and Rauf Khalid moving towards film industry. If nothing else, than they at least have an educated background, a wide vision and a rich experience in the field of imagery," she puts it optimistically

She promises a change, if given a chance. And since we are a nation generous enough to give corrupt politician countless chances whenever they seek it, let's give her one too. She has earned our trust with Karb. This time too she might reinstate our faith in the film industry with Shararat.