Movie Name: Bachaana
Release Date: February 26, 2016
Director: Nasir Khan
Review by: Momin Ali Munshi
One debutant film director, two actors known more for their intense character portrayals than comic timing, a shoe string budget and a shooting time of 30 days. Doesn’t really sound like the most lavish set of ingredients when your’e planning to make a full on romantic comedy thriller set in Mauritius now does it? Well think again, for the entire team of Bachaana spearheaded by director Nasir Khan and producer Rizwan Saeed have successfully manged to defy reasoning and give us a visual treat that is Bachaana using these very ingredients.
Story ( Spoiler Free)
Set in Mauritius, Bachaana narrates the story of an Indian girl Aalia (Sanam Saeed) who meets a Pakistani cab driver Vicky (Mohib Mirza) under dreadful circumstances and from that point onward the entire film revolves around the journey of these two characters and how they escape the bad guys.
I’ll be the first one to say that the story is not something ground breaking (and if memory serves me right, I have used this very line for half the Pakistani films that released last year). We don’t have great writers in Pakistan period! But that must not take away from the dialogues which Saad Azhar has penned. While the plot may not be that impressive the one liners sure are. The comedy looks very natural and does not come across as forced all thanks to the dialogues and the effortless acting by the two leads. Even the ‘ladki ladki hoti hay’ line is said in a completely different context in the film as opposed to the trailers and the way it has been said in the film is not weird or absurd at all.
Acting
Bachaana is the perfect example as to what two good actors can do for a film. It would not be wrong to say that one of the major reasons why the film works so well is its because of the effortless acting that Mohib Mirza and Sanam Saeed have put for display. For such a character driven film it was extremely important to cast the right people and well Nasir Khan has just done that.
There is always this debate surrounding what the definition of a good actor is. Intense acting and good acting are two different things! If an actor is successfully able to convince the viewer that the character he/she is playing is actually real, I say that is good acting. If an actor is able to get the viewer invested in the story because the viewer feels for the character, I say that is good acting. And that is actually what happens in Bachaana.
Sanam Saeed as the full of life, cheerful Indian girl is too good. Having seen her television shows where she has generally played serious characters I never expected her to do so well with a comic role. She fit the role like a glove. Similarly, Mohib Mirza also is known more for the off beat films and for him to have an impeccable comic timing was surprising.
Moreover the chemistry the two share is another plus point for the film. It seems very natural and does not com across as forced.
Direction
Nasir Khan’s debut as a director could not have been better. In his very first film he has showcased why he is a force to be reckoned with and why all producers of Pakistan should sit up and take notice. He knows how to use the camera to get great cinematic shots which justify the 500 rupees ticket one pays to watch a film as opposed to watching a show on tv. There has always been this complain that Pakistani films look like television shows being played on the silver screen, but believe me when I say this that Bachanaa is a film!
Its worth mentioning that almost all of the film is a chase and to have so many chase sequences could have put the audience off. But Nasir makes sure that the way he films each chase is different so that the audience does not feel a sense of déjà vu. Moreover, the comic relief in the form of the one-liners was a good addition to the romantic thriller which otherwise could have been a bit boring. Kudos to Nasir Khan and we expect great things from you now Nasir!
Music
The music is composed by Ali Sher and consists of three numbers ‘Yaari’, ‘Labda’ and ‘Bachaana’. The composer has shown his versatility with the music as all the three songs have their own feel and flavor. However, while the music is interesting the video’s of the three songs sadly aren’t. The songs have not been shot as such and play in the background which kind of takes away from the full effect. Had Mohib and Sanam grooved to the title track ‘Bachaana’ or at least had lip synced to the entire scenario would have been different. Nonetheless, the music is surely a great addition to this film and Ali Sher deserves a pat on the back for providing such soulful numbers.
No hard feelings Momin, but you should consider choosing some other profession.
Being a movie buff is different from being a film critic. I don’t want to put you down, but it’s just an observation that I wanted to share.