“I Wanted the Film to Have the Vignetted Existence of a Fable”: Sarmad Sultan Khoosat on His Genre-Bending Berlinale Premiere Lali

Key Takeaways

• First all‑local Pakistani film at Berlinale.
• Merges horror, black comedy, and folk musical elements.
• Uses red‑purple palette to symbolize curses and emotions.
• Queer gaze subtly embedded through casting choices.
• Chapter structure eases tonal shifts, guided by editor Sadiq.

Summary

Pakistani director Sarmad Sultan Khoosat’s supernatural horror‑musical Lali debuted in Berlin’s Panorama, marking Pakistan’s first all‑local film at the Berlinale. Inspired by a family short story, the film fuses horror, black comedy, folk songs and a vivid red‑purple palette to explore cursed marriages, gender dynamics and a subtle queer gaze. Khoosat explains the difficulty of merging tones, the use of chapter breaks, and the meticulous color design, while editor Saim Sadiq’s cuts shape the shifting narrative perspective. The genre‑bending work signals a new wave of South Asian gothic cinema.

Pulse Analysis

Lali arrives at a moment when South Asian cinema is hungry for fresh genre experiments. By securing a slot in Berlin’s Panorama, the film not only puts Pakistani storytelling on a world stage but also proves that locally financed productions can compete with high‑budget international horror. Its roots in a family‑told short story give the narrative an authenticity that resonates beyond the supernatural, inviting audiences to reconsider folklore as a vehicle for contemporary critique.

The film’s structure is a masterclass in tonal choreography. Khoosat deliberately split the story into chapters, allowing abrupt shifts from comedic wedding revelry to eerie desert sequences without disorienting viewers. Editor Saim Sadiq’s timing of title cards and pacing of cuts ensures each tonal pivot feels earned, while the dual perspective—initially Sajawal’s, later Zeba’s—adds narrative depth. This approach demonstrates how disciplined editing can reconcile disparate genres, offering a template for filmmakers tackling hybrid storytelling.

Visually, Lali’s red‑purple spectrum functions as an emotional barometer, linking characters’ scars and curses to the cultural symbolism of wedding reds and mystic purples. The deliberate color grading, overseen by colorist Fatimah Sattar, balances authenticity with stylization, avoiding the garishness of typical horror palettes. Moreover, the film’s subtle queer gaze—manifested through casting choices and intimate framing—expands representation without overt exposition. Together, these elements position Lali as a benchmark for future South Asian genre projects, encouraging bold aesthetic choices and culturally resonant narratives.