Galaxy Lollywood is going to celebrate its third Eid-ul-Fitr this year since its inception in October 2010. Excitement is obviously high and anticipation is undoubtedly great. But the reason for all this energy is not just a date mark in calendar, but a light of hope that at last the dream of Revival or Re-birth of Pakistani cinema turning into reality seems something pretty imminent from this point here. You ask why? Well, because finally, four of Pakistan’s highly anticipated films have confirmed their release day to be this year’s Eid-ul-Fitr.
Shehzad Rafique’s Punjabi flick Ishq Khuda, Humayun Saeed produced and Syed Ali Raza directed Main Hoon Shahid Afridi (MHSA), award-winning Aamina Sheikh and Mohib Mirza starrer Josh by Iram Parveen Bilal, and perhaps today’s most anticipated local film, Waar, by Bilal Lashari, all four of them are set to hit cinemas together on this year’s Eid-ul-Fitr. But this just does not end here; the thing that excites us more is the fact that all four of them have their own strong individuality. If any one of them doesn’t compel you enough to be watched, no problem, there are three more different flavours for you to choose from, thus, giving you a whole range of choice from Social-Drama to Action-Thriller.
Let’s analyse all four of them individually:
Having been announced and postponed multiple times before, Ishq Khuda has definitely damaged its image. But done with its world premiere on 18th May this year in Punjabi International Film Festival (PIFF) in Canada, and the marketing campaign already started, the movie is definitely on the table this time around. Made on a rare combined genre of Sufism and Romance, Ishq Khuda will be an interesting treat to watch with Shaan and Saima being projected in different avatars. But hold on, the duo is not playing lead in the film, it would be a love triangle between Ahsan Khan, Meera and the middle eastern part to the cast, Wiam Dahmani, that would be projected with the leading plot in the movie. The chances of the movie on box office rely heavily on the mood of Punjab’s film circuit mainly, which is the biggest in the country obviously, and with Shehzad Rafique’s heavy background of success with Salakhain and Mohabbatan Sachiyan, be sure of thumbs up for the film from this province. Although the movie has the least number of fans on Facebook amongst four of the Eid releases, but Galaxy Lollywood’s self conducted poll gives it an approval rating of 82.4% from public, placing it only second to Waar. This hints us towards a possible box office result where the movie might not go that empty pocketed from the urban localities as one might have speculated earlier.
Mein Hoon Shahid Afridi is the only movie not announced before or delayed as opposed to the other three Eid releases. Written by Vasay Chaudhry and directed by Syed Ali Raza, MHSA at first, might have sounded a biographical piece on the only superstar in current Pakistan Cricket squad, Shahid Afridi. Well, that’s perhaps too early for it. Even the legend Imran Khan got his maiden biographical feature after more than two decades of his retirement, that too by the way remains to be released in cinemas. So, not a film on Shahid Afridi for sure. The actual plot revolves around a local cricket club and its financial, administrational and sporting struggle in a country of more than 180 million cricket maniacs. Hmmm! Seems something already heard and seen, repeatedly seen in fact. Does anyone remember John Abraham’s Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal and Shahrukh’s Chak De India? Anyways, Humayun Saeed (Producer, MHSA), has categorically denied all such reports and we don’t even expect Vasay Chaudhry to put his pen on work for something unoriginal.
The film has quite a many unique links to be a success. To start with, it’s a Six Sigma Production, and Six Sigma has no doubt become a name of success in drama productions. Secondly, it’s a sports movie. This particular sort of genre has been hardly touched in the sixty-five year history of Pakistan Entertainment Industry. The closest recent thing done on the same lines was the telefilm, Bhag Aamina Bhaag, inspired by the life of Pakistan’s SAF Games pride, Naseem Hameed. All in all, it would be refreshing to come out of the routine romance and family politics centric plots. The film is perhaps the only one amongst all four that hasn’t created its niche; it would be a film for all. It is in national language, based on a topic popular throughout the country; probably the closest thing Pakistani fans of Indian movies would have in the absence of foreign films, and thus, has the potential to attract audience from cross societal classes without any real difference. With more than fifty thousand Facebook fans and 78.2% rating on Galaxy Lollywood’s ‘Approval Poll’, the movie is definitely going to earn some big bucks this Eid.
The diversity, as we mentioned earlier; is something that excites us more about this Eid’s Lollywood releases. Watching the work of Iram Parveen Bilal, as a female director, in the shape of Josh would be something really interesting. Not only that, Iram has also written, scripted and co-produced the movie. Thus, whether one wants it or not, we expect it to be a little different in flavours.
The main theme of Josh, as we have understood, is the prevailing cruelty and injustices of feudal culture in our society and how the affectees of this brutal system finally stand up against it in their common pursuit for Justice. In last couple of months, Josh has been screened in several international film festivals (mainly Indian) and has been well appreciated everywhere. Its curtain raiser was held in Atrium, Karachi on 7th May, 2013, and so, we now expect no further delays in its current announced release date.
Josh, unlike its possible Eid day competitors has been on the quieter side of limelight. May it be because of its subject, a sort of debutant team, or it may also be something intentional. But, if this movie has to compete with its other three competitors, it has to start picking up from now, time is short and competition is tough. The extended trailer of the movie is releasing on 30th of June (this month), and we hope it manages to kick off an extensive promotional phase of the movie.
But one must not expect less from a film that has more than thirty-four thousand fans on Facebook (second highest amongst the four) and a rating of 75% on Galaxy Lollywood’s ‘Approval Poll’. Our best wishes are for the movie.
Waar; due to its overall production value, cast, international prospects and even the plot, is certainly the biggest film in this list of Eid releases. Made under the banner of Mind Works Media, Waar is directed by Bilal Lashari and, written and produced by Hassan Waqas Rana. Said to be the most expensive Pakistani production by now, the movie has Shaan Shahid, Shamoon Abbasi, Ayesha Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Meesha Shafi and Ali Azmat in the cast. The plot revolves around the ongoing ‘War on terrorism’ and state’s constant pursuit to get rid of its fall back on the country. The movie in its initial days made headlines for news reports suggesting that American production and distribution giant Warner Brothers, will be distributing the film internationally. We don’t exactly know if the reports are still valid, but Warner Bros. or no Warner Bros. the movie is still big and will be a sure success in the multiplexes and up-graded single screen cinemas of the country. However, the fact that a good chunk of it is in English would limit its audience to a great extent in Pakistan. Producers in this case would definitely look towards the international market and the prospects will be good if they manage to strike some deal with a good distributor there.
Bilal Lashari recently confirmed the Eid release of the film through his Facebook status, and thus we expect the promotional campaign of it to start soon. The film is obviously famous in the urban circles of population, and thus, the social network. Retaining its first position on our ‘Approval Poll’ for a long time with 96.6%, the movie also enjoys the support of sixteen thousand plus fans on its official Facebook page.
Expected competition:
With a ban on the release and screening of foreign film this Eid, foreign competition for these films will completely be zero. The internal competition, however, is going to be immense. Here is what we think would be the possible situation in cinemas on the three festival days.
Main Hoon Shahid Afridi will fight against Waar in the first tier competition, and this battle would be confined to multiplexes and upgraded single screen cinemas only. A big chunk of middle and upper middle class that in usual circumstances would have gone for a Hollywood film, would go and watch Waar. Remember, these people might not be as big in numbers as the fans of Indian or Punjabi cinema, but these people have some serious money. Be it the makers of Waar or MHSA, one cannot just afford to upset this class.
Then there is this small chunk of upper middle class, a huge middle class and a small chuck of lower middle class, which would go and watch Main Hoon Shahid Afridi. These people usually don’t shy away from watching Indian films. But remember, these people wouldn’t mind watching a slick Pakistani half English-half Urdu action thriller with Shaan, Ayesha Khan, Meesha Shafi, Shamoon Abbasi performing in it, either. Thus, margin of error or in fact margin of too much excellence (continuous housefuls), might divert a lot of one-time-spenders from MHSA to Waar. You will understand it just a little better if you remember what happened when Salman Khan’s Bodyguard and Moammar Rana’s Love Mein Ghum were on the play together in Pakistani cinemas.
In the second tier competition, Ishq Khuda and Main Hoon Shahid Afridi will fight. And this will be even a more interesting situation than that of Waar and MHSA. Humayun Saeed has made a film that, as we said earlier, is for all. It will be a competition of a ‘Film-for-All’ VS ‘the mighty director of country’s biggest film circuit’. MHSA might succeed in out doing Ishq Khuda’s business on the Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala circuit by a close margin, but, Ishq Khuda would have a fairly upper hand in a huge number of conventional single screen cinemas of Punjab. All in all, neither of the two would go empty pocketed and will make well enough money to surpass their costs.
As far as Josh is concerned, it will expectedly have a more direct match with MHSA or even Waar at some circumstances, which we undoubtedly believe will rather be played on the urban pitch. Josh will definitely make money out of Karachi, Lahore, and even Rawalpindi- Islamabad circle as well. But, what we can’t say for sure is that in which category it will fall.
With so much diversity even in our cinema going culture, one cannot be certain about the final winner out of all this complex festival competition scenario. The best thing is just to wait and watch…and watch the movies too, that’s more important. Revival or re-birth might not come with the release of mere four films, but at least, and like always, we can be hopeful that things will take a start in the positive direction from here onwards. Our sincere wish of luck for all the films releasing this Eid-ul-Fitr.
Basic Structure By: Rizwana Sheikh
Written By: Muhammad Aayan Mirza
