Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra heaped praise on Saim Sadiq's 'Joyland', Pakistan's entry for the Oscars, in a post on Tuesday, calling it a "joy to watch".
The 'Quantico' star took to Instagram stories, posting a short trailer of the film, with the caption: "Joyland is truly a joy to watch. Bravo to the entire team for bringing this story to life. It's a must watch."
She also congratulated the South Indian film 'RRR', posting a picture with filmmaker SS Rajamouli and composer MM Keeravani. The film recently won a Golden Globe award for Best Original Song and two awards at the 28th Annual Critics’ Choice Award held on Sunday.
'Joyland' has been collecting critical acclaim since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival last year – a first for Pakistan –going on to win the Jury prize and the Queer Palm.
Saim Sadiq's 'Joyland' clinches Acting Prize at Palm Springs Film Festival
Last week, 'Joyland' clinched the Best Acting prize at the Palm Spring Film Festival, honouring actor Ali Junejo for his role as Faisal, citing: "We award the Best Actor Prize to Ali Junejo in Joyland for his intimate, thoughtful and nuanced performance as Haider, a man grappling with his diverging sense of self and familial responsibility. Junejo emerges as the film’s most flexible and dependable performance owing to his generosity and earnestness with each cast member, both in behavioral and linguistic choices."
Earlier this month, the film was shortlisted by the Academy in the Best International Feature Film category, down to 15. The film was announced as Pakistan's official entry for the 95th Academy Awards in September last year.
Along with collecting accolades on the festival circuit, the film also boasts an elite selection of executive producers with Malala Yousafzai, Jemima Khan and most recently Oscar-winning actor and producer Riz Ahmed joining the ranks.
'Joyland' is a story of the youngest son in a patriarchal family who joins an erotic dance theatre and falls for the troupe's director, a transperson. The film features Alina Khan, Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Sarwat Gilani, Salman Peerzada, and Sania Saeed.
'Joyland' actor Sarwat Gilani speaks on Pakistan-India relations, cross-border cultural exchange
The film's release in Pakistan was mired in controversy as it was banned due to "objectionable" material, causing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to order a review. Following minor edits, the film was released.