Over the course of time, ever since the self-proclaimed revival of the Pakistani film industry, we have had very few good thrillers. There have been excellent films that speak of social causes and highly entertaining romantic comedies, but there hasn’t been a good mystery film brimming with action and thrill.
But perhaps things might change as KKFilms is gearing up to bring a big thriller based on the story of the serial killer Javed Iqbal. Titled ‘The Untold Story of a Serial Killer: Javed Iqbal’, the film will be helmed by Abu Aleeha and will star Ayesha Omar and Yasir Hussain in the lead roles.
The Synopsis
The story is based on the bone-chilling case of the namesake serial killer and rapist, Javed Iqbal. The case was macabre as the killer was responsible for abusing, torturing and murdering not one but more than a hundred children in Lahore. When he was caught, Javed Iqbal was sentenced to death in the same way he treated his targets.
Who Was Javed Iqbal?
Javed Iqbal is famously said to have been active in Lahore between 1998 and 1999. The serial killer used to dissolve the dead bodies of the children he murdered and abused in acid to get rid of the evidence.
Talking to Galaxy Lollywood, Ayesha Omar shed light on not only her character but a few interesting aspects of the movie and her upcoming projects.
Ayesha Omar’s Character
“The movie is based on true events from 1999 and is set in Punjab. I’m playing the role of a police officer in charge of the case. This is one of the most challenging cases of my career,” shared the ‘Bulbulay’ starlet.
Adding further, Ayesha said that since the shoot of the film was still going on, the character presented itself with new challenges every day. “When I’m on set, it’s very hard to disconnect from this character. She’s investigating the gory details of the case and on top of that, she’s a woman so she feels everything more. It’s an intense story with horrifying details and I don’t really have any reference for preparing for the role so I keep myself out there thinking how this woman must have been feeling in real life and it certainly is draining.” The ‘Karachi Se Lahore’ actress also shared that she felt that a character might lose its authentication if there are so many references so she just focused on emoting more naturally.
Details On The Film
“The shoot has started and we plan to release the film this year. News is ripe that cinemas might be opened around the end of October or start of November so we plan to finish shooting likewise and release the film as soon as cinemas reopen,” stated Ayesha.
Talking about the content of the film and how it has been something extraordinarily dark, Ayesha stated, “The film is very dark and emotionally challenging. As an actor, you feel an emotional connection to the character you’re playing. You start to feel its emotions and see the world through its eyes. We actors are very sensitive people as this sensitivity helps us get into the skin of the characters we portray on screen. This particular character was very challenging for me to play.”
Ayesha shared that ‘The Untold Story of a Serial Killer: Javed Iqbal’ is an adaptation of Abu Aleeha’s novel of the name ‘Kukri‘ that he researched and wrote a few years ago about Javed Iqbal and his heinous crimes. “The treatment of this plot has been very sensitive as it was the requirement of the film.”
Other Upcoming Projects
She revealed details about her other films that are in the pipeline. “‘Dhaai Chaal’ is on hold since COVID-19 happened. We have shot almost 90% of the film. Only a small sequence is left and we’ll wind up that as soon as the conditions are favourable.”
Ayesha Omar has also been busy working on a film with Ahsan Khan, titled ‘Rehbara’. About when this would hit the cinemas, she added, “We’re only left with one sequence of ‘Rehbara’. It’s a very important sequence and would need only 24 hours of shooting, so I’m excited about this too”
Ayesha Omar also shared that she had been busy working on ‘Money Back Guarantee’ alongside a Kamran Shahid directorial that dealt with the Indo-Pak partition. “I’m playing a very intense character of a journalist in that one as well so I’m rather excited for it to come out. Let’s hope the world is able to fight COVID-19 and we get to watch our films on the big screen soon.”
