Unlike many other countries where movie stars and singers are more popular than anything else, cricketers in Pakistan enjoy the most fan following. So much so that even though Islam is the most followed religion in the country but it too unfortunately has its sects and divisions, and it is cricket that is widely considered to be the uniting factor for the whole nation.
In such a country, Imagine what it would be like to be a cricket star, a star who is followed by millions of people not only in his country but around the globe. Shahid Afridi is one such cricketer in Pakistan, to be frank, the only one with such a stature who is still part of the national playing eleven.
Not to our surprise, a film named ‘Mein Hun Shahid Afridi’ (I am Shahid Afridi) has now been announced and as suggested by its name; will focus on the cricket life and struggle of Pakistani cricket heartthrob Shahid Afridi.
Produced by ace Pakistani actor-producer Humayun Saeed and famous TV producer Shahzad Nasib under the banner of their production house ‘Six Sigma Entertainment’, film is directed by Osman Ali Raza and the story is penned by Wasay Chowdhry. Saeed is also playing a coach-character in the film, while the lead role of young and struggling Shahid Afridi will be played by up and coming actor Noman Habib.
In an interview to Times of India, Humayun said, “It’s for the first time in the history of Pakistani films that a sports movie will be directed, produced and shot here. It’s about the youth of today in Pakistan who would like to pursue a career in sports.”
Talking about the reason movie is named Mein Hun Shahid Afridi, Humayun said, “Today, every young boy in Pakistan wants to become Shahid Afridi. The story of the film basically revolves around the life of a young boy[Shahid Afridi] and his struggle to become a cricketer. The story is very simple and uncomplicated, but the message is that today’s generation, who want to enter sports, should concentrate more on their passion for the game rather than get into scandals and controversies.”
Known for giving top quality entertainment at small screen, Humayun Saeed said almost 50% of film’s shooting work is done, including the scenes being shot at different cities and famous cricket stadiums of the country.
Acknowledging the support of PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) for the film, Humayun Said, “The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) helped us a lot, providing proper facilities and experienced coaches to train the cast for the movie. The cast had to go through rigorous training sessions for a month before the shooting started. Also, well-known cricketers from the Pakistan cricket team have given us their support.”
On a question regarding the chances of Shahid himself giving an appearance in the movie, Humayun Said, “Shahid is a good friend and he knows about the movie. We had approached him to act in it, but he refused to do it, mainly due to family pressure and religious reasons. However, we hope to convince him to make a special appearance in the movie. We have just completed a photoshoot with Shahid which will be used in the movie.”
Well, all we know about Humayun Saeed is his charming screen appearances and quality TV serials. We hope he would be able to translate this tremendous record of consistently delivering quality TV serials in his debut production film too.
