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Inkaar – A Valiant Effort That Fell Short In The Last Episode

By
Hajira Waheed
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In a society which doesn’t give much weight to a woman’s consent, Inkaar was a brave effort to shine some light on this plight. The show started with much valor but ultimately the climax didn’t do justice to the cause.

Patriarchy is deep rooted in the Pakistani society where men can get away with almost anything. There are hundreds of cases still pending in court where victims are still waiting for justice; cases ranging from harassment to honor killings. Inkaar‘s plot was about one such victim fighting to get justice via the country’s legal system. Instead of the show demonstrating the trials and tribulations a woman faces when she goes out to seek justice, and ultimately coming out triumphant, Inkaar ended up showing the victim, a woman who had to face awful physical and psychological torture, taking the high road of forgiveness.

Inkaar means “to refuse”. In the contextual sense, this word alludes to the concept of consent, a concept that not many understand. We live in a society which glorifies stalking, where movies encourage wooing a woman even against her wishes, and where ultimately the heroine marries the person hounding her. There is a thin line between pursuing and harassing and the show was doing a great job of explaining that to the audience but the end nullified all the build up. Here’s an overview of the drama itself.

The Characters

Inkaar was produced under the Momina Duraid production and had an amazing star cast. Yumna Zaidi gave a brilliant performance as Hajra Iliyas; so did Sami Khan as Shayan and Imran Ashraf as Rehan Chaudary. Rehan Sheikh plays the role of Hajra’s father and nobody could have depicted a tired yet a brave father better. Zaidi is a powerhouse of talent and is a delight to watch on screen. She and Imran Ashraf are the heart of the show. If you want to follow the series for its cast, you won’t be disappointed.

The Story

I have always been a fan of Zafar Mairaj’s writing and Inkaar is no different up until the end. The show follows the story of a young girl who piques attention of a warp minded rich man hailing from a strong feudal background, Rehan Chaudhry. Rehan gives attention to Hajra and expects her to fall into his lap. Hajra does fall for Rehan’s charms but when he takes advantage of her affections for him and tries to harass her, Hajra manages to escape his trap at the last moment and breaks all ties with him. Enter Shayan. Shayan likes Hajra and his genuine love and respect for her make Hajra overcome the trauma of the incident with Rehan. She agrees to marry Shayan but then the true nature of the deeply tangled relationship between Rehan, Shayan, and Hajra is revealed.

Rehan continues to pursue Hajra despite her engagement with Shayan, and refuses to take Hajra’s, “No!” as a definite answer. On the night of her nikkah, Rehan, in a bout of anger, plunges scissors into Hajra multiple times because, “tum meri nahi ho sakti tou kisi ki nahi ho gee.“ Hajra survives the attack and decides to fight for justice. Fast forward to the ending: Rehan is found guilty by the court after the case goes through many ups and downs, but Hajra forgives him because, “jail mein jaa ke kon seedha ho sakta hai,” and instead sends him to his mother who lives in a village (slow claps).

An Unsatisfactory Ending

Criminal justice system is set in place for a reason. People found guilty of such heinous crimes go to jail for a reason. The show’s ending, in all honesty, has made a mockery of all such cases and women who are brave enough to fight their perpetrators. It is a brilliant show with a thoroughly unsatisfactory ending.

All in all, I think Inkaar set out to change minds and could have done a better job at it if the climax wasn’t so anti-climatic. What did you think of the ending? Should Hajra have forgiven her offender?

Here’s How Mehwish Hayat Is Showing The World The Best Of Pakistan

By
Atiqa Ali
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Mehwish Hayat had been in the news for the past few months following a public outcry on receiving her Tamgha-e-Imtiaz. She’s making headlines again and for all the right reasons, this time.

Social Work

Mehwish is a big name in Lollywood, churning out hits after hits. The actress has been lauded for drama and film performances alike and has always been very comfortable in her work. Since receiving her tamgha, we’ve noticed a bit of a change in her. While she continues to be her enigmatic screen-self, she’s become more politically and socially aware and has become more active in using her platform to put a positive image of Pakistan into the world.

Mehwish Hayat has always been an advocate of women empowerment and human rights. She has often used her twitter as a platform to talk about what’s important and after her TI, Mehwish has brought the same energy into the world.

In the past month alone, Mehwish has single-handedly improved funding for the shocking state of affairs of hockey in Pakistan. She visited Abdul Sattar Eidhi stadium and upon noticing the subpar facilities, started raising awareness for the matter. Hayat’s efforts paid off when for the first time in years, Geo TV agreed to broadcast the semis and finals of the national hockey championships. Furthermore, the Sindh government granted a whooping 10 crore to PHF after she spoke up about the matter.

Clearing Up Pakistan’s Image:

Now, Mehwish Hayat has a new project where she’s trying to disprove the villainous image of Pakistan portrayed by cinema all over the world.

Mehwish first spoke about it in Oslo where she received a Pride of Performance award from the Prime Minister of Norway. Mehwish called out Hollywood films and shows such as Homeland, Zero Dark Thirty and The Brink for the vilification and negative image of our country in the west. She also urged Bollywood to decide what is more important to them, nationalistic fervor or a peaceful future.

Another issue came up when a Pakistani girl questioned Priyanka Chopra on her warmongering tweet during the previous Indo-Pak escalation. The girl was interrupted, her mike snatched and a very condescending reply from Priyanka infuriated Pakistanis all over the world.
Following the interview, Mehwish wrote an opinion piece for CNN where she called out the UN ambassador on her hypocritical remarks. She also wrote about the villainous portrayal of Pakistan in Bollywood fueling Islamophobia around the globe.

Taking this initiative forward, Mehwish sat down for an interview with Sky News where she further discussed the matter. “Always stereotyping Pakistanis as backward terrorists and having subjugated women or always being the villain, has actually affected us greatly and built this image of Pakistanis”, Mehwish said. She then talked about addressing this behavior by asking for “if not a positive portrayal, at least a fair portrayal”.

Hayat also touched upon the issue in an interview with BBC world where she spoke about building bridges and working together for peace. She highlighted the factor that Pakistan has always screened Bollywood films whereas Indian films never fail to vilify us. Mehwish spoke for the people of Kashmir as well, by saying they have a right to choose what is best for themselves and that she hopes for a peaceful solution of the current matter.

Currently, Mehwish is in the UK to announce that she has become a global ambassador for the charity ‘Penny Appeal’ to help raise funds for building schools in Sukkur. She aims to help provide basic education for the young girls of the region and to give them the choice of how to live their lives.

Final Word:

In a time when our country faces criticism from all over the world, Mehwish’s efforts to bring a peaceful image of Pakistan forward, are truly commendable. We’re so proud and inspired by her intellect, grace and drive to show the world how peace loving Pakistanis can actually be and there’s no better representative for us than Mehwish Hayat.

Heer Maan Ja (Review): Another Fall For IRK Films

By
Hassan Hassan
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Film: Heer Maan Ja

Release Date: 12th August 2019

Director: Azfar Jafri

Review By: Hassan Hassan

Despite Heer Maan Ja being a smaller film in its magnitude and buzz as compared to the other two big Eid releases, I was counting on it to be the dark horse of the race. It was my first choice among the three films releasing simultaneously courtesy to the team behind it and all the claims of strong content they had made. I find this relevant to put it out there as I had watched all three Eid films back-to-back, on the same day.

As much as I was disappointed with IRK’s previous outing Parchi, I was hoping for Heer Maan Ja to make up for all the unkept promises in the team’s previous offering. Guess I would have to wait for their next production to witness the magic they created in films like Siyaah and Janaan because Heer Maan Ja just did not live to up any expectation or hope that I had from it.

The Story

Heer Maan Ja follows Kabir (Ali Rehman Khan), a career-driven young man who, after finding out that he may be suffering from a life-threatening disease, decides to apologize to the people he has hurt in his life to make amends in what could be his last days on earth. This includes his ex, Heer (Hareem Farooq), who is about to get married to her ferocious cousin, Wajdan (Faizan Sheikh).

In the next two hours or so the film unravels how Kabir and Heer get tangled together as opposed to their plans, and we are told what led to their breakup in the first place.

The runaway bride with a reluctant hero to accompany her on her adventures is something we have seen scores of times in films and still, it remains an interesting premise to weave an engaging story around. But what could have been an exciting roller coaster ride ends up being a stale, dull journey with a lot of messy bumps on the way. There are moments from whereon you hope the film would stand up and walk on its feet but much to your dismay, these hopes erode sooner than expected.

The Acting

Among the few redeemable qualities of the film, the performances by (most of) the cast are applause-worthy.

Ali Rehman as Kabeer is impressive, to say the least. The actor has great comic timing and shines in both romantic and intense sequences. His transition from a careless boy to a sensitive man is relatable and well-conceived and executed. Ali is one actor to look out for and he deserves to get more acting jobs in films other than those by IRK films, that can explore his potential as an actor.

Hareem Farooq as Heer also impresses at many instances. She especially excels in the comic and romantic sequences. She has never looked this beautiful on screen before, and her chemistry with Ali Rehman remains the USP of the film. Although, there are moments in her performance where one feels she could have done better. Like in a few emotional scenes the viewers remain confused whether she’s doing comedy or crying. But still, Hareem as a performer has less of “the low moments” than Heer Maan Ja as a film itself.

Apart from Heer and Kabeer, there is hardly any other character that is well written and has multiple dimensions to it. Faizan Sheikh as Wajdan is one opportunity that the film hugely and glaringly missed. Faizan’s portrayal of a rich, entitled, and ruthless brat is believable but the way the character turns out, in the end, leaves much to be desired. He looks dark and ferocious in the start and makes for a villain that is both stylish and threatening in equal measures, but he loses this malevolence as the film progresses.

Wajdan could have been assigned better motives that would explain why he is such a bad guy that he was portrayed to be. In addition to that, he appears and disappears jarringly from the screenplay and the viewers don’t feel the trepidation when he appears in the climax. Having said that, Sheikh beautifully portrays the role and a lot of people will not recognize him to be that hilarious guy from the popular TV sitcom. He is a capable actor.

Cameos instead of supporting characters

Rest of the supporting cast consists more of cameos and less of the properly carved out characters. The film’s inordinate dependence on cameos rather than fully fleshed out supporting characters make the film a superficial affair where the “supporting cast” is trying extremely hard just to evoke laughs to keep the audience engaged, but those jokes remain irrelevant to the main story. IRK went the same Parchi way i.e. its emphasizes on having as many funny sequences as it can squeeze in and as a result loses concentration on the main story.

There are some laughable moments by Mojiz Hassan, Saleem Mairaj, Shamayle Khattak, and Ali Kazmi, but in most of the instances, the jokes are unfunny. Because no matter how competent the cast is, it cannot rise above such a poorly written script.

Aamina Sheikh as Saba, like the rest of the cast, has good comic timing and she looks smoldering, but despite the vital amount of screen time that is assigned to her, Saba’s relevancy to the story remains a question mark even as the climax approaches. Saba could have served better either as a proper supporting role or the makers could’ve benefited by relegating the “SMS wali Saba” to just a random cameo.

Confused screenplay and direction

In an attempt to stay relevant Heer Maan Ja tries to highlight a few social messages encompassing gender equality and honor killing, but where highlighting these themes enhances could have increased the film’s relate-ability, they erode the overall mood and tempo of the film. The blame could partly go to the poor editing and partly to a shabby screenplay and script.

For example, in one scene the film laments the plight of women with all seriousness and the immediate next scene comprises of entirely dull comedy. As a result, the film’s attempts to address a social issue appears jarring, as if woven rather forcefully into the narrative to give it some seriousness and depth.

The first half introduces character after character, leads to confusion, which apparently according to the maker would suffice as suspense in the second half, never helps the audience engage with the story. By the time the second half starts, you lose interest in Heer and Kabeer’s story. thanks to the overdose of unnecessary characters, despite the second half being done decently well.

The climax scene is so poorly executed that you start to question whether it was directed by Azfar Jafri or not. And the blatant, in your face, product placements are another surprise let down by Azfar and the IRK team. Considering the state of the Pakistani cinema which is still dependent on corporate giants to stand on its feet, it is nearly impossible for filmmakers to avoid product placements in their films. But where rest of the Pakistani cinema has learned to plug in brands subtly, HMJ seemed to be stuck in the Karachi Se Lahore era where dialogues would appear in the script solely to forcefully push fast food and ghee brands down the viewer’s throat.

Other technical letdowns

The music of the film doesn’t leave any major mark either. Addi Maar may be a good wedding dance number, but Zara Sheikh’s poor get up and dance moves leave much to be desired, more so after witnessing the song on the big screen. The romantic songs aren’t a complete disappointment, at least visually. Hareem and Ali look extremely beautiful together in the romantic songs and sequences even though the songs themselves are just adequately good.

The art direction seems interesting in some scenes but is a let down at some other instances where the framing, locations, and backgrounds don’t match with the demand of a scene at all. For example, an intense scene of the villain happens in a brightly lit setting thus taking away the harshness of the antagonist and the conflict itself. Just like the melodrama or comedy of the film, the action sequences are impressive at some points and cheap at others.

Another massive let down was Hareem Farooq’s styling. The flashback part of the film shows Heer as a university student but Hareem’s styling and makeup do not have her come across as a convincing one. There’s no change in her styling throughout the film and that makes her character come across as very stagnant.

Despite Heer Maan Ja juggling multiple genres which are inculcated to ensure a socially relevant commercial flick, the end product remains half-baked. The alternative bouts of comedy and tragedy happen in a jarring manner throughout the entire narrative. And their enjoyability is purely subjective to individual taste.

Verdict

Heer Maan Ja is a bearable one-time watch only if you are a fan of Ali Rehman and Hareem Farooq or simply enjoy the escapist form of cinema like this team’s previous venture, Parchi.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Superstar (Review): Strong Performances Botched By A Shoddy Screenplay

By
Hassan Hassan
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Film: Superstar

Release Date: 12th August 2019

Director: Mohammed Ehteshamuddin

Review By: Hassan Hassan

They say the best way to give a shut-up call to your critics is via your work. And Mahira Khan is lucky enough to have a film that released right in time which she can proudly flaunt as clear evidence of her talent. After the recent controversy, Khan was embroiled in, where she was a target of an industry veteran’s ageist and sexist remarks, the release of Superstar has proved why Mahira Khan’s is touted as the country’s biggest superstar. Superstar may not be a path defining film in Pakistani cinema, but will surely stay a noticeable cinematic affair for the year 2019, and a memorable feat in Khan’s acting career.

The Story

The film’s story follows Noori (Mahira Khan), a talented theater actor working with her grandfather, Agha Jan (Nadeem Baig), who owned a hustling bustling film studio back in the golden days of Lollywood. To make it big, Noori by chance meets Sameer (Bilal Ashraf), who is the current era’s popular film star, born to the rich Zulfiqar Khan (Javed Sheikh) and ex film star Laila Khan (Marina Khan). Sameer is smitten by Noori’s spontaneous personality and love blossoms between the two. The two actors face a sudden conflict which results in various personal and professional setbacks for both. With their careers following an opposite trajectory, the two characters go on a journey of self-discovery, love requital, prioritizing family and friends, and learn a lesson that there is a difference between an actor and a star.

The basic plot may look like a formula that’s tried and tested many times in various films, in various film industries even. However, Ehteshamuddin’s version surprisingly comes across as a fresher take on the dynamics of the theater and film industry, as well as the rise and fall of stars, especially in the first half.

However, it needs to be said that the film’s story relies heavily on fictitious elements instead of a realistic portrayal of the world the story is based in. Baaji, for instance, showed a darker and grittier version of the life behind all the glitz and glamor. Superstar, on the contrary, chooses to depict this often misunderstood world of the entertainment industry as a fantasy instead of diving in the deeper and more complex reality of it.

The film portrays the reality through a very idealistic lens where a nobody theater actor rises to peak stardom in a span of three years with nothing but a few TV dramas and television commercials to help her reach there. A top star falls to the pits despite having a bustling career in one of the biggest film industries in the world. Superstar‘s version of reality is very hard to compromise with, especially when the real-life audience has now become so well-aware of the mechanics of the industry.

Being a love story of two artists developing in the world of film and drama, the film understandably has a heavy dose of powerful performances and an equal amount of melodrama. Those who prefer realism over impressionism in the film may find it over the top, but for the most part, Superstar remains an engaging enough watch.

The Acting

Mahira Khan proves herself as the ultimate namesake of the film she’s starring in. Superstar is a strong argument in Khan’s favor, asserting that she isn’t just an ordinary actor who has happened to make it big in the industry by chance. The character of Noori with all its layers is a dream character for any actor and Mahira does this character complete justice.

Starting from her numerous remarkable skits as a theater actor to her struggle as a budding artist, her persona as a next-door girl, and then her ultimate transformation to a glamorous Superstar, Khan fully exploits the opportunity that is given to her. Almost everything that happens in Superstar goes in Khan’s favor. From the theater sequences to dance and romantic numbers where she is clad both in traditional dresses as well as the bolder ball gown dresses, she looks like a dream and a treat for sore eyes. Noori’s transition from a struggling actor to a reigning superstar is portrayed brilliantly by Mahira Khan, and the trio of Khan-Azaan-Ehteshammuddin deserves a nod for its execution.

Bilal Ashraf as Sameer Khan is another surprise. He as an actor undoubtedly has made a striking improvement since his initial projects. Except for a few occasions, he manages the emotions of anger, love, and frustration with quite an ease. He sounds and looks comfortable in his skin and actually impresses the audience with his acting skills. His chemistry with Mahira Khan is enthralling.

The moments he seems a bit off could be attributed to flaws in direction and the script which leaves his character underdeveloped at a few vital instances. For example, Sameer knows his stardom and shows tantrums accordingly, being consistently late on sets is one of those. There is an element of arrogance and self-conceit in his personality that ultimately leads to the main conflict, but since the audience isn’t shown that side conspicuously, the transition and the main twist that comes near the interval is confusing. The script never portrays him as the brash spoiled brat and that’s the reason the audience has difficulty accepting him, and hence his performance.

Ali Kazmi as Shaan is impressive and believable and comfortable in his small but significant character. Same goes for veteran Javed Sheikh as Sameer’s father. There is a powerful scene in the second half where he confronts Nadeem Baig. This scene takes the story back to the 70s and connects it with Sameer’s current crisis beautifully.

Speaking of Nadeem Baig, he delivers one of his best performances since his retirement as a hero from films. Portraying a retired filmmaker who loves the art more than its economics, Agha Jan is not just a prop or just another elder character. Agha Jan is a fully fleshed-out character with a proper back story with motives and influences the lead characters in their journey too.

Alizeh Shah as Chutki, Noor’s younger sister, is equally impressive and brings freshness and perfect comic relief.

The Azaan Sami Khan factor

Superstar has one of the sweetest music albums of recent times. Azaan Sami Khan has definitely given the audience a double treat this Eid because both Parey Hut Love and Superstar have cemented his position in the industry as a remarkable music director.

Speaking of Azaan, he has also written the screenplay of the film. But unlike the stupendous work he has done on the music of the film, his contributions as a screenplay writer are not up to the mark at all. The film’s first half is written well enough and despite the heavy use of willing suspension of disbelief, it is still engaging enough to disregard any concerns about the logicality of the development happening on screen. However, the minute the second-half starts, all of that is tossed out of the window as the story nosedives into a rather absurd territory that becomes too much to digest.

The first half is an easy, smooth ride but the second half tries to juggle with too many things, all at once and ends up becoming a mess. A character death, dwindling careers, a struggling romance, the glitz and glamor of the industry, as well as the repercussions of the Indo-Pak political tensions and their consequences on the exchange of art between the two countries – the film digs its fingers in all of these heavy subjects and what ends up happening is just messy.

The major problems

The main issue of the second half is the central conflict upon which the film is based on. Superstar is essentially a story of the rise of a star and the fall of another one. There is an element of revenge, alongside love, that ties these two stars together. But how the film tells this story does not seem convincing at all.

It’s just hard for any layman audience to digest the fact that a top star, a male top star on top of that, becomes so gaya guzra that he virtually becomes a nobody overnight. Not only all his national and international success is disregarded, but he also becomes a punching bag for the heroine to take out her frustrations on by using her power as the current top star of the country. The story and screenplay do a rather shoddy job in convincing the audience of this very implausible turn of events.

Superstar as a film demanded a larger scale and grander production values. The larger than life world that the film creates is not reflected well visually enough. It needed the extravagance portrayed in Parey Hut Love. The cinematography is adequate at some points while dazzling at other places, and this inconsistency does not help take the notice away from the weak script. Poor editing is another reason the film seemed pressured, especially in the second half.

Verdict

Strong performances and beautiful music make the film an engaging affair but the haywire second half and the very unrealistic depiction of the entertainment world makes it hard to connect with the film.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Box Office: Here Is How ‘Superstar’, ‘Parey Hut Love’ And ‘Heer Maan Ja’ Perfomed This Eid

By
Zaryan Khawar
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Eid Box Office

Eid 2019 and the three-way clash was without a doubt one of the biggest highlights for Pakistani cinema this year. Everyone was waiting to see which film would lead the race, which would have to suffer due to limited shows and what the general result would be.

Well, the coveted Eid week has completed its first three days and all the films have done really well. This is particularly surprising given the flooding situation in Karachi which was believed to cause a major dent in the box office numbers. The collections have followed the same template as predicted by trade, with the two bigger films registering better numbers. Here is a detailed breakdown of all three films:

Superstar

Mahira Khan, is considered to be one of the biggest superstars of Pakistan and the collections of this film prove just that. Directed by Ehteshamuddin and produced by Momina Duraid, the Bilal Ashraf and Mahira Khan starrer opened with good numbers and went on to collect bigger numbers in the coming days taking the three days total to a whopping 6.3 crore. If the film maintains this momentum it will definitely cross the 10 crore mark today (i.e Day 5). This is the highest opening three-day number for Mahira Khan and Bilal Ashraf.

 

Parey Hut Love

The Asim Raza venture starring Sheheryar Munawar and Maya Ali in leading roles has also performed exceptionally well. The film has also raked in about 6 crore in its first three days and given its momentum is also likely to cross the 10 crore mark today ( i.e Day 5). The film is the biggest opener for Sheheryar Munawar while Maya saw a bigger opening with Teefa in Trouble. The film has been aggressively marketed by ARY Films who have an undisputed track record at the box office but the film really needs to keep up the momentum if its wants to be a profitable venture given the huge budget.

 

Heer Maan Jaa

The film started off slow but picked up the pace and recorded a 2.9 crore number at the box office for its first three days. Whereas both the other films have set new box office records for its cast, this film, unfortunately, hasn’t done exceedingly well if one compares the past projects. Janaan did better than this in the first three days while Parchi had raked in a similar number at the box office last year. Nonetheless, the trending for the film is good so it will be interesting to see how it performs in the coming days.

Final Word

Thanks to the Eid holidays followed by a weekend all the films got a healthy push but once the festivities end and come Monday that is when the real litmus test will start and the word of mouth will play its part. Let’s hope all the films continue with the trending and rake in big numbers.

These box office numbers are given by an independent box office tracking site EPK Pakistan.

Parey Hut Love (Review): A Beautiful Cinematic Experience Let Down By Poor Writing

By
Hassan Hassan
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Film: Parey Hut Love

Release Date: 12th August, 2019

Directed By: Asim Raza

Review By: Hassan Hassan

“Kamyaabi ka ussol hai logon ko maza karao, jeena mat sikhao.” Fawad Khan says in his brief cameo in Parey Hut Love. When I was leaving the cinema after the film’s end credit song, it was this line from the film itself that came to my mind because it succinctly summarized the entire Parey Hut Love experience for me.

The escapist rom-com that I had witnessed seemed palatable after applying this dialogue to the film’s context as I came to understand the motives of the makers, which were simply to entertain the viewers with gloss and glamour, and avoid any moment that would move the film towards any preachy territory. Which then translates on the big screen as a grand cinematic experience full of color, zing, a heavy dose of beauty and aesthetically pleasing shots, soulful music, but all of it sans a noticeable story.

And that is where the Achilles’s heel of PHL resides, all exposed and ready to be struck at, that brings the film down from the glamorous grand scale that it has perched itself on – the lack of a proper story line.

What Parey Hut Love is about

PHL is a piece of complex artsy cinema that draws elements from a host of cinematic eras/genres encompassing the golden age Pakistani cinema as well as the Yash Raj/Dharma brand of Bollywood to name a few. The template of the film as well as some incidents in it are based loosely on the classic British rom-com Four Weddings and a Funeral, and the makers of the film have readily owned up to this fact.

The film follows a handsome, commitment-phobic, struggling actor Sheheryar (Sheheryar Munawar) who falls in love with Saniya (Maya Ali), who is following her post-graduation in Turkey and is daughter to one of the most prolific writer of the golden age of Pakistani cinema, Faisal (Nadeem Baig). Their romance blossoms at a family wedding and later has to witness a rather tumultuous journey at the backdrop of three more weddings. In between, the two central characters of the film have to take critical decisions regarding their individual lives as well as the fate of their relationship in a limited time that life provides them.

How the young couple realize their love for each other and what they do with that realization is what you’re going to witness on big screen.

The strong acting performances

Among the many strengths of the film, the most obvious one remains to be the lead couple and they way they have delivered their performances.

Parey Hut Love remains Sheheryar Munawar’s show for most of the time and he carries the film quite effortlessly on his shoulders. His is the most well written and complex character of the film. As a budding actor with a rebel inside who displays his anger in rather juvenile ways on and off, Munawar has probably delivered the best performance to his career till date. He yearns for a respectable social stature, but isn’t ready to open himself to further challenging avenues, fearing a dilution of his attention. Despite being an intelligent man, the way he handles difficult situations ends up affecting his equation with his peers and love interest, often landing him and people closest to him in trouble. Munawar makes the audience connect with Sheheryar’s frustration and helplessness, so when the big breakdown moments happen for the character, the audience is fully invested in Sheheryar’s fate. Not only does Sheheryar Munawar look good on the big screen, he proves his mettle as an actor by delivering a very memorable performance.

Maya Ali is another feather in the cap of PHL. Although Saniya appears and disappears rather jarringly in the film, but Ali owns whatever frames she is featured in. From a feisty and intelligent girl who does not shy away from engaging in flirtatious banters, to a loving daughter readily obedient to all her father’s wishes, and then a heartbroken woman hurt by the love she holds in her heart for a man, she brings all shades of Saniya alive by using her facial muscles and body language. Maya Ali is growing project by project as an actor and there is no second opinion on how beautiful she looks on screen.

Among the long list of the supporting cast, it is the veteran actor Nadeem Baig who impresses the most. Baig’s character has perhaps the most long lasting effect on the film’s narrative as the lead characters’ motives are largely influenced by his presence. Faisal hails from the long lost era of the golden age of Pakistani cinema, and his yearning to rekindle his once illustrious writing career provides much depth to the otherwise shallow story line of the fuilm. The sequence where Baig narrates the well know poem “Hamesha Der Kar Deta Hoon” by Munir Niyazi in a voiceover,  as a tired Faisal walks towards his writing desk, is one the strongest moments of the film, both visually and emotionally moving, and is worthy of applause.

Zara Noor Abbas sparkles on the big screen, despite the fact that her character Shabbo is not given any depth and is present in the narrative mostly for comic relief. As Shabbo, who is a small town girl and an aspiring actor, Zara looks part and has impeccable comic timings. She has succeeded in making sure Shabbo does not come across as caricaturish and plays the rather naive character with genuine earnestness and innocence.

Ahmed Ali Butt does what Ahmed Ali Butt does best. His character, Arshad, is Sheheryar’s best friend and he aspires to become a successful director. Butt’s comic timing is as always on point but unfortunately, not all of his jokes land. The humor he provides is a mix of witty quips and exaggerated body gestures and while the former brought laughter at many expected and unexpected places, the latter felt very unnecessary. Like Zara, Ahmed Ali Butt also does not get a more carefully written character. However, the two actors share a wonderful chemistry onscreen and the back and forth between Shabbo and Arshad was a delight to witness.

Hina Dilpazeer, who plays Sheheryar’s mother, is another victim of confused characterization. Her motives and ambitions aren’t explained properly. She is shown as a rich lady who is happily married to a rich businessman after her marriage with Sheheryar’s father ended. At no point anything else about her character is explained and then she ends up taking a decision which seemed to be present in the narrative solely to forcibly bring a conflict in Sheheryar’s life. The fault lies in the way the character is written and Dilpazeer does not entirely succeed in rising above the weak writing despite being her usual hilariously charming self onscreen.

Rest of the supporting cast appear for few or more scenes and while they do look beautiful onscreen, there is not much to write home about. An extended cameo by Mahira Khan near the end adds freshness to the story but her appearance and disappearance seems so forced that it leaves a lot to be desired.

Top notch production value and chart-busting music

The music of the film is already a chart buster and is covered extensively by media for its quality and diversity. From a qawali to a romantic ballad to dance numbers, the music director Azaan Sami Khan has composed something for everyone. It is arguably the best music album of the year so far. Also, the way the songs are picturized is something never seen before in the resurgent Pakistani cinema. The songs come in the right places in the film and they take the narrative of the film further instead of being treated as a filler.

The production values of the film can be regarded a landmark with respect to the emergent Pakistani cinema as it is definitely the most gorgeous looking film to come out in the recent years. Salman Razzaq and Serkan Guller’s cinematography where they used anamorphic lenses adds depth to frames and there is not a single moment where the footage looks “non filmy”. From art direction to production design, everything in PHL appears lush and oozes grandeur. The cinematographic choices taken in few key scenes of the film elevate the emotions and makes sure the audience’s focus remains glued to the screen.

No making up for a weak story

Unfortunately, such is the grandeur of the palette of this film that it overpowers the film’s narrative and at many moments viewers may feel as if they are seeing a collage of beautifully shot videos with filler scenes interspersed, instead of a film bound together by a cohesive story line. However, the concentration on grandeur could be seen conversely too. While many viewers may love the rich colors, bright lights, and beautiful people dancing around in grand, beautifully decorated locations while dressed faultlessly in ornate wardrobes, a considerable chunk of people are bound to complain about the absence of a meatier story and ample plot twists that a viewer desires in a film.

By the mid of the second half you may start to question the predilection of the makers towards gloss and glamour as rather unnecessary. What is covered over four weddings could be easily narrated in a lesser number of nuptial events, hence preventing the monotony in the screenplay that moves at a snail’s speed, especially in the second half. Despite the film’s dialogues being adequate to impressive, the fatal flaw of the film, that is its very weak story line, is just impossible to ignore.

The scenes and sequences when seen individually are not short of an artwork, but when viewed together there hardly is any palpable story, especially since it is narrated in a linear manner. The various time jumps in the film, owing to the film’s narrative style, does not help in establishing a coherent story. Because the film focuses on some key “moments” in the characters’ life and not on the journey that leads to those moments, the audience is stripped off of the necessary build up that is important for the payoff of those scenes to be worth it.

However, to the director Asim Raza’s credit, he does manage to deliver the emotion of those key moments perfectly. The romance of the film is treated like magic, the confrontations are engrossing, the breakdown scenes are dramatic and manage to make grief look both beautiful and raw. So, all is not lost in this glossy fairy tale.

Verdict

Whereas the grand visual appeal, peppy music, and brilliant performances do not completely make up for the lack of a proper story line, Parey Hut Love could still very well emerge as popular choice for the youth thanks to the positives.

Rating: 3/5 stars

The Five Year Long Filmy History Behind Sheheryar And Maya’s Relationship

By
Maisooma Batool
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The Munshi Show

If you have been following the news and promotions about the upcoming badi Eid release Parey Hut Love, you would know that the relationship between the film’s lead characters, Sheheryar and Saniya, and their love story which is the core of the film, develops over multiple encounters that happen between the two of them throughout the film’s story. But what if we tell you that the lead actors of the film, Sheheryar Munawar and Maya Ali, themselves also had a similar journey of forming a relationship like their characters do in the film?

In the opening episode of GalaxyLollywood’s very own celebrity talk show, The Munshi Show, this beautiful lead couple of PHL, who have been wowing the audience with their effortless chemistry and comfortable bond for quite some time now, sat down and revealed the entire history of their relationship and we must say, it is no less than any filmy story out there.

Not the best beginning.

Seeing the bond that these two young and beautiful share with each other now, it surely comes as a surprise that their beginnings were not the most ideal. Talking about the first time they worked together for a magazine’s cover shoot back in 2014, Sheheryar revealed that his encounter with Maya was not the most ideal as she wasn’t in the best of moods that day due to some reasons, and his attempts to cheer her up by some playful leg-pulling in front of everyone backfired on him badly.

“She just turned around and gave me this look and said, “Har cheez mazaak nahin hoti.” That day I realized that she is quite dangerous and I should maintain distance from her.” Sheheryar recalled cheekily.

He further talked about their next professional stint together sometime later, another cover shoot but this time for an international magazine, and explained how they had kept a complete distance from each other throughout and how they don’t even have any memories from that shoot.

Fresh starts.

This rather awkward relationship the two shared changed on the set of Maya’s first TVC as a Lux girl where Sheheryar was both working as an AD and a producer, as well as had a brief cameo in the TVC as well. Maya talked about how she had been the one to approach Sheheryar on the sets because she reckoned he was in a bad mood as he looked uncharacteristically serious. But when she asked him the reason behind his somber mood, Sheheryar replied that he was fine and he was just in character for the shoot.

“I burst into laughter. He had only three shots in the entire TVC. What could the “character” for those three shots possibly demand from him?” Maya quipped.

Sheheryar then explained that he had been deliberately acting a little hard to get that day with her. Nevertheless, that was when they had first started talking. Then a few months later, Maya had messaged him her compliments about a shoot that he had done and that’s how they had continued on the path of having a good relationship. It was around this time in 2017 that in an interview, Sheheryar had famously expressed his desire to work with Maya in a project.

All’s well that ends well

Maya revealed that after that, she and Sheheryar shared a cordial but very formal relationship until she signed on for Parey Hut Love last year. Sheheryar said that their friendship kicked off during the pre-shoot rehearsals for Parey Hut Love. And the rest is, as they say, history.

Well, that’s certainly a very interesting and filmy history to a relationship that, right now, is nothing but goals. The dynamic that this duo share is captivating and it can clearly be seen in the way their energies are in sync with each other. All of which can be seen in The Munshi Show.

To watch them share their awkward, hilarious, and adorable beginnings as well as demonstrate how far they have come since then, share exclusive and interesting insights like Maya’s superhero avatar during the shoot of PHL and Sheheryar’s marriage plans, and so much more, go and check out the first episode of The Munshi Show. Right now!

https://youtu.be/xD-YQettuOc

What Do The Big Three Eid Films’ Promotions Say About Them?

By
Maisooma Batool
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promotions

The day of Eid ul Azha 2019 has been under discussions and dispute now for almost a year. At one point it had looked like this year’s badi Eid would end up being the day when as many as five Pakistani films would be released side-by-side. Many films were announced to be released on this day, decisions which were later taken back for one reason or another. But all of that is in the past as three films managed to stick to the day till the end. And the coveted day upon which the fate of these three films is hinged upon is now less than a week away.

While we still have some time before the fate of these films is disclosed, both in terms of critical and commercial success, now is a very good time to assess the promotional strategies that the teams behind these films have undertaken to spread the news about their arrival. Anyone active on social media must have seen the stars of the three films hopping from one location to another and it could all be a little overwhelming to keep track of.

Well, we at Galaxy Lollywood have kept a keen eye on all the promotional activities of the three films and have recognized how all three films’ promotional tactics mirror the USP of the films itself. Here’s how.

Superstar – The Power Couple

The biggest attraction Superstar has for the audience are the names that are headlining the project. Mahira Khan is undoubtedly the biggest superstar, for the lack of any other better word, of the country and her name being attached to any project creates excitement for the audience. Bilal Ashraf is one of the very rare actors of the country who has exclusively only worked on the big screen and has made a name for himself as such. With two beloved names of the big screen coming together for the first time, there isn’t any need to look for any other means of creating hype for the film.

Superstar is a romantic drama film and the trailers and songs of the film have hinted that this film heavily relies on the chemistry shared between the leads Mahira and Bilal. So, the promotional tactics of the film have been such that Mahira and Bilal are the sole faces and focus of the promotions. This duo has done mall meet and greets, overseas press conferences, alongside the mandatory social media appearances on various channels. Galaxy Lollywood also captured this duo’s comfort and chemistry with our signature ‘Name Three‘ game segment and got them to shake a leg on a song from the film and the response has been nothing but positive. Superstar is a romantic drama that the audience is thrilled to watch and the main reason is the power couple vibes that Bilal and Mahira have been exuding.

Parey Hut Love – The Dream Team

From the beginning, Parey Hut Love has sold itself on the premise of being a grand cinematic affair befitting the title of a badi Eid release. Not only the canvas of the film is large but it also boasts of a huge cast that comprises of fourteen characters. This huge cast that is comprised of veterans and debutantes both has been proudly owned and presented by the film’s team at every stop.

The mutual love and respect that the entire team of PHL, from the actors to the main powers behind the camera, can be seen in the rigorous promotional touring that they have done. It’s never been just one or two people going out and promoting the film but the team has made sure to go all out, both in numbers and enthusiasm, in promoting the film. From press junkets held both in Pakistan and overseas, mall meet and greets in major cities of Sindh and Punjab, to radio show appearances – the unique thing about PHL’s promotions is how at every spot, we could see different members of the cast present there. If the director Asim Raza was talking about his film in London and Dubai, then the voice behind the film’s hit song Behka Na, Ali Tariq, was crooning the song live on the airwaves via radio.

Of course, the film’s lead couple Sheheryar Munawar and Maya Ali, around whom the central romance of the film revolves, has been present at every stage. They have enamored the audience with their chemistry and established it already that the film’s main story is in safe hands. #SaniYar, the official hashtag for the two main characters of the film, is flooded by the couple’s fans on social media platforms. Of course, Galaxy Lollywood got a taste of that chemistry in real life. Watch out for this space to find out how these two bright stars opened up GL’s very own celebrity talk show – The Munshi Show.

Heer Maan Ja – The Masses Favorite

The team behind Heer Maan Ja has already established a loyal fan following with its previous two ventures. Janaan and Parchi were both two commercially successful films that really captured the pulse of the audience by giving them the kind of relatable as well as masala entertainment that the audience craves. And with Heer Maan Jaa, the team’s third venture, they have made sure to target not only their loyal audience but also to tap into the market that would benefit them.

Because the team behind this film all comprises of millennials and young blood, the film by default carries that youthful energy to it. And true to that, HMJ’s promotions have more specifically targeted the young demographic. They haven’t just stuck to the bigger cities for the promotions and rather started from the smaller cities to get the word out about their movie. As the film’s genre is a romantic comedy, it stands out from the other film releases which are mostly romance and drama centric. Capitalizing on the comedy genre of the film, the promotional tactics of the film have been fun and interactive.

Ali Rehman Khan and Hareem Farooq, who have previously shared screen in two dramas and a film, would be showcasing their romantic chemistry for the first time on the big screen. They are not an unknown pairing for the audience so their promotional behavior has been more comfortable and chilled out, which is true to their real-life dynamic. A proper glimpse of that would be seen in The Munshi Show so, you better get excited.

Final Word

All three films promise to offer a very different cinematic experience for the audience. And it is very good to see that throughout the films’ very active promotional touring, none of the films has gone out of their way to sell themselves as something they are not. Or at least that is what it has come across as. The final verdict will be out on Eid ul Azha of course when all three films would open to the audience.

Is Mahira Khan’s Role In ‘Parey Hut Love’ More Than Just A Cameo?

By
Uzair Anwer
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Asim Raza’s Parey Hut Love has been in the news ever since it got announced for reasons more than one. Be it the casting coup, lavish sets, chartbuster songs or the shoot at multiple locations, the film has always been a hot topic of discussion.

It is no secret that Mahira Khan was the initial choice for the role of the female lead in the film but that didn’t pan out and Maya Ali was taken on board for this Eid bonanza which boasts of an ensemble cast including Sheheryar Munawar, Ahmed Ali Butt, Zara Noor Abbas among others.

However Mahira was still a part of the film in what was called a “special role” and it was believed she will be playing Zeena in the film, a mere cameo, but from what we have recently learned, looks like there is more to the story.

More Than A Cameo

We have received information from a reliable source that Mahira has more than just a special appearance in the film and is a critical part of the story. Mahira Khan’s Zeena is actually a full-fledged character. She appears in the second half of the film and encapsulates a triangular angle with the characters of Maya Ali and Sheheryar Munawar. Zeena’s role lends ample support in taking the film’s narrative forward. Although the screen-timing might be brief, the impact of the character will be felt by the audiences.

Mahira Khan couldn’t do the lead role as her dates were clashing with another project. But having shared a great professional and personal association with the director Asim Raza and producer Sheheryar Munawar, she did the role of Zeena and a special classical dance number, Morey Saiyan for which she is getting rave reviews due to her dance performance and unique look.

https://youtu.be/Wg7EsB99wYw

Moreover, her role is not of a courtesan as we might have thought earlier. Rather, it is in a different space, more towards the creative side, and given that Sheheryar plays an aspiring actor, and the film is set in the Pakistani cinema industry this does make perfect sense. We will also get to see stars like Fawad Khan, Sonya Jehan, Meera and many more in cameo appearances.

Final Word

From what we’ve seen in Morey Saiyan, Mahira’s character is sure to be an interesting addition to the film and given this new information we are even more excited to see her play Zeena. Team Galaxy Lollywood wishes team Parey Hut Love, best of luck for its release on Eid-ul-Azha.

Box Office: ‘Hobbs & Shaw’ Sets The Local Box Office On Fire

By
Zaryan Khawar
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box office

Last Thursday the box office saw the release of Hobbs & Shaw with paid previews, and a full release from Friday. The film is a spin-off of the Fast & Furious franchise, which is one of the biggest-selling brands in Pakistan.

The Lion King too, on its third weekend, has not lost fire power at the box office and has churned up some big numbers. Local releases like Ready Steady No also have some collections coming its way while Sirf Tum Hi Ho turned out to be a total washout and ended its run.

‘Hobbs & Shaw’ is soaring high

box office

Hobbs & Shaw opened to a collection of 58 lacs on its first Thursday, while Friday numbers went up to 2.64 crores taking the total to 3.22 crores. The opening number is the third biggest in the history of all Hollywood films ever released in Pakistan, and the fourth biggest if all Bollywood and local movies are also considered. In comparison to Fast 8, which had opened to 4 crores (including previews) this is a big number, especially considering it is a spin-off.

The film, however, kept on flexing its muscle power at the cinemas as Saturday numbers went up to 2.90 crores approximately taking the two-day total to 6.12 crores. The film registered a further 2.37 crores on Sunday, make the all-new total 8.51 crores in the opening weekend itself. The jump in collections on Saturday shows the film will have strong legs at the box office.

Weekend 1: 8.51 crores

‘The Lion King’ remake is holding strong

box office

The Lion King has shown a tremendous trend at the local box office. In its opening week, the film collected a good 8.75 crores and in the second week went to 5.70 crores, registering an approximate 35% fall from the first week. In the third weekend, the film started off with 30 lacs and on Saturday went on to 60 lacs showing a 100% jump which is superb. The film has grossed a total of 15.35 crores and this has made The Lion King the fourth film this year to cross the 15 crore mark. It still has time until Eid releases to register some excellent collections.

Week 1: 8.75 crores
Week 2: 5.70 crores
Weekend 3: upwards of 90 lacs

Local releases doing decently

box office

Ready Steady No has managed some collections in the first ten days of its release i.e. 1.25 crores. This number is not very high but still, these numbers are fine considering the film did not open well, though it has found some appreciation in premium multiplexes like Centaurus Cineplex. With the past week’s collections still to be reported, we hope the film stays afloat.

Tevar was another Pakistani release by the team of another film called Kataksha. Tevar is an action revenge-thriller film which managed to collect 1.38 crores in the first week. The number isn’t very high but still good enough for a low budget film such as itself. We’re hoping the film manages some good collections in the second week and proves beneficial for the makers.

box office

This week seems to be belonging to Hobbs & Shaw, the mega action-entertainer, which has registered a great run. Despite the great numbers, Parey Hut Love’s limited release from Friday will dent its business. We’re predicting it’ll see a solid run until Eid.

These box office numbers are given by an independent box office tracking site EPK Pakistan.

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