“Victim” grounded with launch of a new film

You might or might not have heard that Humayun-Meera based upcoming Pakistani film Victim is now closed. Yes! It’s the same film that was opened with a grand launching party in PC Lahore which was attended by many of the famous faces of the industry and most importantly the project was launched with a great hope of its makers to give Pakistanis a real quality entertainment, but unfortunately got closed due to some reasons.

But along with this upsetting update, we have got good news for the fans too; the production company of Victim named “Blue Venice Pictures” has now announced a new film which will hit the cinemas of the country very soon.

To know more about the actual facts, the team of Galaxy Lollywood contacted the producer of the film Mr. Wajaht Abbas Kazmi and recorded his opinion regarding both of these news in a great detail. Let’s check how he replied to the questions.

GL: What actually was the reason behind the closure of your film Victim?

Wajahat: I don’t take it as a complete closure, we have just delayed the film and will surely try to touch it in the near future, but as far as the reasons are concerned I think the biggest reason behind the closure of the film was the realization that I am taking really a very big risk here, Victim was supposed to be my first project in Pakistan as a producer, putting a huge amount of money in your experimental project can be nothing less than axing your own feet, not just this, the team I was working with was also not matching my own mental level, people have got different way to work and I have a different one, but still don’t even think I am having any differences with that team, I respect the way they work but I have got my own style.

GL: We heard about the next film you have launched as a substitute of Victim, tell us something about that.

Wajahat: Yes we have started a new project which was previously named Imaan but due to some reasons we changed the name of the film to “The Dusk” which in other words can also be called “The sunset” or “The Evening”,….though we can’t disclose too many facts related to the film but what we can disclose is that we are introducing Salman Khan and Uzma Khan in this film who are both I won’t say new but pretty young in the industry.

“I have got this great, passionate and new gang with me in this film and we are working really hard to make something worth watching, Z-shan Kazmi is directing it who is accompanied by a bunch of very talented assistants whereas I am not only producing the film but have also penned its story.”

GL: Unlike Victim, you went for the new actors for this film, don’t you think it’s a big risk you are taking?

Wajahat: I think people are very much fed-up of watching the same circle of some people appearing again and again as hero/heroines in films, we haven’t produced a single superstar in last ten years or so, I think it’s the high time to inject new blood in the industry which is not only talented and passionate but has got a proper vision to take the industry on heights. I also want to clear one thing more here, many people are talking about low star value and all that, in my opinion star value is created by giving more and more chances to new people in films and market them properly, why is that Ranbir Kapoor or Imran Khan in Bollywood were free from all this low star value talk? It’s only because their film industry knows the art of marketing their actors but unfortunately we don’t.

GL: Tell us something more about The Dusk, like its basic genre, budget, release date and most importantly the basic story of it.

Wajahat: Well I can’t actually disclose even a bit of the story as per my director’s directions but yeah the movie is basically a drama packed romance-thriller one whose story will revolve around its lead characters named Ali (Salman Khan) and Fatima (Uzma Khan). Budget of the movie is around 2.5 Corores but for me the thing which matters most is the story which I think is pretty much strong and people would surely like it. As far as release date is concerned, we don’t have any deadline yet but expectedly we will complete the shooting of the film by the end of next month as we have already completed the 30% shooting work in Azad Kashmir and rest of it is on its way. Film will be first released in some of the international film festivals and after that we will definitely bring it in Pakistan.

GL: What were the major difficulties you people faced while working on this film?

Wajahat: Well actually Pakistan lacks the basic film-making infrastructure big time, but biggest problem we faced while shooting was to make people realize that it’s not one of those vulgar films that in past caused a great image loss of Pakistani directors in the hearts of the people, for instance we had to shoot a scene in one of the colleges in Azad Kashmir but the administrations of those colleges refused us to lend their place and the reason which they gave to us was that in past many of the directors when given the place to shoot, misused that area badly which resulted in a great image loss for those schools and colleges. It will surely take time for the industry to become something like Hollywood or Bollywood but I am very hopeful in this regard, specially I would like appreciate the work of Geo Films, they are doing a marvellous job by picking up the best films of the country and giving them a grand local release, so their effort is surely appreciable.

GL: What’s the next thing your company “Blue Venice Pictures” going to touch after The Dusk?

Wajahat: Well after that I am planning to go for a total commercial film because I guess Art films never supports the industry to regain its Heydays, it’s the commercial films which can bring the golden era of our industry back, so for sure I am going for a commercial film after this.

Apart from this, when we asked him some other small questions like his own most awaited upcoming Pakistani film, next super star in his eyes and his favorite Pakistani director, he answered somewhat like this:

“Well the upcoming Pakistani film which I am looking forward to is director Bilal Lashari’s Waar, I am hoping a blast from his side and he is doing an awesome job, as far as the next super star is concerned I think model and just turned actor Nabeel Khan of Reema’s Love Mein Gum is someone who really has the potential to become the next superstar of our industry, and in favourite Pakistani director I would say Sabiha Sumar of Silent Waters fame is doing a great job and I am looking forward to her next project Rafina.

==Interview ends here==

For sure Wajahat and his team’s effort to bring the golden era of the industry back is praiseworthy, but it will be the time that will truly tell us the final result of this effort of his.

Apart from all above talk he also told us that his project is bit more closer to the reality and is something out of the usual films we produce in this region, which surely is something good to hear because many of the real film fans are now fed up of all those stereo type acting and films we are watching here for many years and want to see something really fresh.

Hope you have not only enjoyed this interview but have also come to know more about the actual facts behind all the airy talks related to film Victim and The Dusk.

Following are some of the pictures of the lead cast members (Salman Khan and Uzma Khan), which will give you a perfect idea about the cast of Blue Venice’s next film called “The Dusk”.