Mufti taqi usmani age

Between the 9th and 14th of September, Kan Nagar — the new indie film that’s literally about death and taxes — went through a world of change.

The cut previewed by this reviewer in a cinema a day before its censor screening, and the sleeker version edited down by seven minutes, highlights the importance of a founding principal of filmmaking that escapes Pakistani filmmakers: the power of the edit — and how just a few snippets here and there can help make a film more coherent and effective for the audiences.

Kudos to writer-director Talha Masood and his team for doing what most filmmakers don’t: listening to — and acting on — advice.

Masood, who works in the Inland Revenue Service, is already working on a difficult subject: a story about an honest, resolute IRS officer Affan (Taqi Ahmed) who is relegated to a decrepit district office in Kan Nagar, Balochistan, because of a harassment case.

Kan Nagar makes us realise how rich Pakistan is naturally and how corruption and bad decis