Three weekends have passed since Eid-ul-Fitr and it is a little encouraging to see that the local releases are still carrying some steam in them to stay afloat at the box office. The numbers, however, have witnessed a decline.
As for the Hollywood releases, they have stood up to the challenge, especially Aladdin which has surpassed the expectations and emerged out to be a true-blue HIT. On top of all of that, a local psychological thriller Kataksha hit the cinemas on Friday so we shall also be reporting on how the said film did on its first weekend. Let’s have a look at the numbers:
Wrong No. 2
Wrong No.2 has seen a meager fall of 37% as compared to the last weekend which is a good sign, considering there was an all-important cricket match on Sunday too. The film has raked in 1.1 crore over the weekend, taking its total to 17.05 crores which is the highest for any Yair Nawaz film and also the best for this Eid. The film has shown some legs but getting to the 20 crore figure will be the main target for this one.
Chhalawa, on the other hand, faced a 40% fall from the last weekend and the numbers overall have been on the lower levels. The film raked in 80 lacs which took its total to 15.6 crores; this is a not all bad a number as it is the highest for any Wajahat Rauf film, ever. The film, however, will not be able to touch the 20 crore box office figure for the audience response has not been good enough and that shows in the collections.
The horror flick apparently crossed the 1 crore mark on its opening weekend. It managed to hold well on Sunday too, despite the all-important cricket match (again apparently).
Let’s see how the situation unfolds in the weekdays.
As for the Hollywood releases, Aladdin has emerged as a super success with its collections reaching 9.8 crores in 2 weeks. The film opened with lesser shows but it went on to show a supreme hold as it was universally loved by all audiences. The film is still doing well and we believe the dream run of Disney will continue in Pakistan with Avengers already doing great and The Lion King coming in July.
These box office numbers are given by an independent box office tracking site EPK Pakistan.
In Pakistan, the film industry does not have a completely different identity from the television industry; at least not post the revival phase. The Pakistani film industry is more or less an extension of the Pakistani drama industry with not just the actors but the same production companies, directors, technicians, writers, etc. involved in creating content for both the industries.
The mainstream Lollywood movies and dramas produced locally for the TV audience are, generally speaking, both targeted towards the same group of audience. We no longer have superstars which are exclusive for the big screen – the one who reigns the small screen has a better chance of winning on the big screen. The filmmakers bank on this by opting to have those actors in their movies who already have made their presence known on the small screen.
The absurdity of having opposite rules for TV and film
While this may save a lot of trouble for the filmmakers and actors alike, who get to enjoy the best of both worlds as they hop from set-to-set, what it does is create confusion for the audience. If the films and dramas are the mirrors of the society, what exactly is the Pakistani entertainment industry trying to portray with its movies and dramas that, by the way, are poles apart from each other despite being similar in so many respects?
Turn on the TV and watch any primetime Pakistani drama on-air on any channel of your choice. Chances are the protagonist of the show is a woman who is a victim to one form of abuse or another. Her eyes would be full of tears but her resolve would be strong. She would endure all the zulm with an unshaken faith without uttering a word of complain. The burden of morality would be all on her; she would be dressed in an appropriate attire that would make the audience at home go, “Yehi toh hamari sakafat hai.”
Compare this to the Pakistani films and we see that the heroines there don’t have to go through this treatment. The women on the big screen are free from the burden of being morality personified; a film’s heroine is free to make bold choices, dress up without the multiple layers of clothing. She is free to ride motorcycles, jump from buildings, leave her spouse at the first hint of betrayal, express her sexuality as she pleases; all of this without anyone questioning her position as the female lead of the project and not be called a vamp that she would’ve been had she exhibited similar traits on the small screen.
The absurdity of opposite rules continues
Keeping aside this bizarre set of rules that dictate that a heroine on the big screen and the small screen be completely opposite of each other, if we just see the stories of Pakistani dramas and compare them with that of Pakistani movies, we once again see a rather odd disparity. Pakistani dramas would make you think that all the world and its problems exist within the four walls of a house. Every bit of happiness and sadness comes from there, lives there, and ultimately dies there. The outside world has no bearing on that.
In Pakistani movies, there is little to no such personal life of the characters. They are, for the most part, unbothered by these mundanities of daily family life. Their social circle is wide and family occupies very little of it. The characters of a Pakistani movie are always out on adventures that take them very far away from their homes. The element of individuality shines brighter on the big screen.
A final word
We are not saying that the stories and the execution of content created on both the mediums should be the same. That, of course, defeats the whole purpose of it. But when the people producing the content, the people making the content come to life, and the audience towards whom the content is targeted are all same for both the mediums, there should be some harmony between the two industries. Accepting one thing on the big screen and then completely reprimanding it on the small screen creates a confusing situation that ends up presenting a picture that is too far away from the actual reality.
Shah Rukh Khan, riding high on the critical acclaim that he received for his stupendous performance as a dwarf in Zero, is one of the biggest superstars in the world. Especially his popularity and his fan base is mammoth in the subcontinent, actresses and actors dream of working with him.
Mahira Khan managed an unprecedented feat by being the first Pakistani actress to pair opposite Shah Rukh Khan as a solo leading lady in the 100 crore grosser movie, Raees. Mahira garnered acclaim for her role of Asia in the film and her song Zaalima became an instant chartbuster. However, she is not the first Pakistani actress to be offered a leading role opposite King Khan.
Mahira Khan not the first Pakistani actress to be offered a role with Shahrukh Khan
Nadia Jamil is a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry, a very instrumental person in the revival of contemporary theatre in Pakistan. Nadia has conquered the Television screens with her performance in successful dramas such as Raat Chali Hai Jhoom Ke, Meri Jaan and her Blockbuster Telefilm Behadd opposite Fawad Khan.
Turns out the legendary Yash Chopra, director of classics such as Silsila and Dil Toh Pagal Hai offered Nadia Jamil, Rani Mukherji’s role in the cult film Veer Zaara. The film was originally planned with Shah Rukh, Aishwarya Rai and Nadia Jamil as the lead trio. However, Nadia Jamil was pregnant with her first child Raaqay at that time.
Nadia refused this once in a lifetime opportunity and prioritized motherhood which is commendable and very brave of her. Yash Chopra and Nadia also met very often to discuss the film and the possibilities of Nadia venturing into the project.
Nadia stands by her decision
Nadia revealed on Rewind With Samina Peerzada that she was in talks for the film with Yash Chopra but couldn’t do the film as she had to take care of her child. The talks even went on till her son became 2 months of age.
Nadia says that she still stands by her decision of not doing the film despite the role being very pivotal and strong in the narrative. The role was that of a Pakistani lawyer who helps the protagonist with his case. Although, she lost out on the film but made lifelong friendship with Yash Chopra and his family. She holds them very dear to herself.
The film released on Diwali 2004 with a stellar star-cast of Shah Rukh, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee and was a record success.
In an industry like ours where less than two dozen films are made a year, every cinematic offering is rather welcomed and looked forward to. The general approach by most of the print and electronic media as well as diehard Lollywood fans is to support local cinema as it is undergoing a metamorphosis.
The said tendency, however, has acted as a double edged sword. While the “support Pakistani cinema” slogan may have attracted a handful of local audiences to watch the local offerings, it has, on the other hand, inculcated this false sense amongst our filmmakers that no matter what, their mediocre or subpar work will be supported and appreciated by the cine-goers and critics. The makers of Kataksha fell prey to the same notion, it seems.
With a debutant team and (later) a trailer that didn’t offer much on the production front, I entered the cinema hall with almost zero expectations in order to avoid getting disappointed. All I expected was a decent horror story that could engage me as a viewer, for some moments, if not most. Kataksha, however, didn’t hesitate to mock even those almost-zero-to-none expectations.
In other words, the film was expected to have good to decent content, if not the budget or production values, but it fails at even that too, making you feel concerned about the tendency of our new filmmakers who don’t seem to take Pakistani cinema, its viewers and most importantly their own work seriously but would insist on making films for the big screen anyway.
What Kataksha is about
Coming to the film Kataksha, it’s a story of four colleagues at a news channel, who don’t get along well but are tasked to shoot a program at the historic Katas Raj Temples.
Asharaf (Saleem Mairaj) is an acerbic driver while Salu (Kasim Khan) is the cameraman with a DSLR who snaps his index finger more than is needed while pressing the button and swings between an insensitive degenerate to an occasional intellect. Aiman (Namrah Shahid), the host, is a headstrong girl who doesn’t care what others think of her while she lives life on her own terms. Lastly, Nazish (Kiran Tabeer), the producer, is a sombre woman with a troubled marriage who is about to get divorced. Mubeen Gabol is the in-charge of the temples who helps the team to fulfill their task.
With a runtime of 95 minutes, you initially feel relieved as your bladder capacity won’t be tested by the length of the movie, however, 30-40 minutes into the narrative and you start to worry about things other than your sphincteric reflexes.
The film wastes too much time on character introductions, its commentary on misogyny and the struggles of the lower middle class in reaching their destinations all while the actual story is expected to unravel. Which, by the way, doesn’t happen until one hour has elapsed, leaving you confused as to what possible wonder could the writer/director pull off in the short time that’s left. You want to stay tuned like a loyal cricket fan would, until the last over, hoping for some miracle to happen.That miracle, with regards to the story, unfortunately never happens and you start scolding yourself for having hope, instead of the film and its makers for failing you.
Of the very few redeemable characteristics
All that happens on screen for the most part is every character spending its 10-15 minutes in opening doors, peeping through the windows, walking across semi lit alleys and looking at decayed frescoes of the historic temples. By the time the two characters are FINALLY taken by a spirit, you already know what’s going to happen to the rest and who’s doing it.
There is hardly any horror scene in the film or any twist for that matter which makes us question the makers’ claims about it being the first psychological horror thriller of the country(looks like they forgot about films like Siyaah in the recent past and many others created earlier during Pakistani cinema’s golden age).
There are, however, a few shots that are beautifully lit with better camera angles and some good background score. Moreover, a scene where Mairaj’s character narrates a punajbi verse to his boss Nazish sitting besides a pond is amongst the very few stand out moments to be witnessed. Similarly, the lightening and the sound design are impressive at most places but never enough to ensure a good horror flick.
Of acting performances and direction
Amongst the cast, Saleem Mairaj stands out of all, as is seen in the trailer. His expressions, dialogue delivery and mannerisms are on point and credit should also be given to the director for that. However, his character witnesses a nosedive from being mysterious and dark, with some possible secrets, to a man trapped in a cave with a lighter in his hands and literally, that was that.
Mubeen Gabol, as the temple in-charge, although has a few scenes but he shines in each of them. From the lighter to horror moments, he does it effortlessly and looks believable. If developed properly and his motives explained better, Kataksha could have been saved from the disaster it becomes by the end. Rest of the newer actors do justice to their roles, especially Kiran Tabeer (as Nazish) being impressive in most of her scenes. As a woman struggling with her marriage and not ready to settle with other men in the meantime, she does full justice to her job.
As a director, Abu Aleeha surely shows spark at most places but the writing and more importantly, the lack of any sort of story makes you question the vision he had for his début silver screen project. Had he come with up with a better story or for that matter any story at all, things could have been different.
Of a blatant disregard for the holy sites and more
For the most part, I couldn’t get the notion out of my head that the makers clearly don’t have any regard for the basic intelligence level that a horror movie buff or a Pakistani cinema lover possesses. Also, him being the writer, he could have been a bit more sensitive towards portraying the second holiest site of the Hindu community as a haunted place. Any other non religious site could have been used with shots from Katas but perhaps that would have robbed the film of the only interesting credential it had; the settings of a scenic and popular Katas Temples that masses could relate to.
It is indeed interesting and encouraging to see new and independent filmmakers not hesitate from trying their hands on the less explored genres like horror, in Pakistan. But selecting a less explored genre as a début, isn’t enough to ensure entertaining cinema, the content has to be equally strong. Making a film for the sake of a film isn’t what local cinema and its viewers demand.
It’s better to NOT make a film without having a stroy than to pick up camera and shoot a few dark shots and claim it to be the country’s (first) psychological horror film. Pakistani audience know their cinema and its history and it is about time that the filmmakers start showing respect to that.
Verdict
Kataksha is just a dark, story-less trip to the Katas Raj Temples that pretends to be a horror flick. We give it 1.5 stars out of 5.
Mehwish Hayat’s name has been splashed around the internet for one reason or another, as of late. It all started from her Tamgha-e-Imtiaz and now, the most recent controversy stems from her cameo in the upcoming film Baaji.
Mehwish is seen rocking to the newly released song ‘Gangster Guriya’ that has been in the news for certain similarities to her B-town counterpart, Katrina Kaif’s style but you can read all about that here. The newest issue arises from the nature of ‘Gangster Guriya’. The web is divided on whether or not the song can be classified as an item number.
What is an item number?
As per the definition, “an item number or item song is a musical number inserted into a film that does not have any relevance to the plot. Although, the origin of the term “item number” is obscure, it is likely that it derives its meaning from objectification of women.” But how apt is this description when most songs featuring women are labeled as item numbers whereas a man dancing to the same beat would be performing a dance number.
Tons of songs featuring dancing women ultimately lead to their objectification in our cinema where the main interest is for men to ogle them. The same liberties may be enjoyed by women but somehow, those songs still don’t generate controversy.
‘Gangster Guriya’: An empowerment anthem?
‘Gangster Guriya’ has started a debate over whether the song should be considered an empowerment anthem or a tribute to a women owning and expressing her sexuality as she pleases.
The song features empowering lyrics like ‘mann marzi ka apna maza hai‘ and ‘don’t touch me boy, mein nahi toy’ which seek to establish female control over their own body and actions. The title in itself is a rebellion, ‘Gangster Guriya’ inspires an image of a beautiful woman who won’t be silenced easily by anyone and can fight for herself. The music video also features Mehwish on top, looking tough and in charge of herself. While this seems like a step in the right direction, it evades the seemingly more effective route. Perhaps showing more intellectual, strong female leads with a good backstory would do better for women empowerment than scantily clad gyrating vixens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkweRSdM0-4
On the other hand, there’s an issue of a woman owning her sexuality. From Billi to Chirya, Mehwish has never shied away from item numbers. In a recent tweet, she responded to the backlash following ‘Gangster Guriya’ saying these dance numbers are a part of her job and that she finds her work empowering. So, owning her sexuality has never been an issue for the queen of item songs. As a progressing nation, we should be able to admit that there’s nothing wrong with a woman owning her body, flaunting what she’s got and expressing herself however she pleases. Our viewers, however, may not share the same ideals.
A final word
A huge portion of the target demographic, Pakistani cinemagoers, are not yet ready to see sexuality so openly celebrated. Religion, societal views and years of ingrained traditional values form a barrier for this sort of artistic freedom. Therefore, the addition of such songs may be doing more harm to the notion of women empowerment than good. And that just begs the question, is it wise to create something an audience would rather not watch or understand?
‘Gangster Guriya’ has a different vibe from Mehwish’s previous item numbers and yet, it is no average dance number either. Looks like we’ll just have to wait for Baaji to see if it has anything vital to add to the plot or is truly, just a filler song and a beautiful face.
What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments.
Well, it is finally here. After being in the news for over a year, Parey Hut Love has finally released its trailer and given an extended look into what the movie is all about. Although the cast and crew of the film have remained tight-lipped about the story of the movie, from the information that they had given out in various miscellaneous interviews, PHL sounded like an “old-school soulful romance drama” which has elements of every emotion that makes for a compelling mainstream movie. And judging from the trailer, Parey Hut Love does look like that.
A glimpse into Parey Hut Love‘s trailer
The almost three-minute-long trailer does not reveal much of the story. What we do get to see is a plethora of characters against the backdrop of some of the most visually stunning frames. Most of the focus, however, is on the character of Sheheryar played by, either as a coincidence or by plan, Sheheryar Munawar. Sheheryar is a TV actor who plans on making it big and is just awaiting the right kind of role. Supporting him in his struggle are the characters of Zara Noor Abbas and Ahmed Ali Butt while Sheheryar’s father, again either by chance or plan played by Sheheryar Munawar’s real-life father Munawar Alam Siddiqui, sounds distressed about the choices his son is making.
Sheheryar Munawar – Maya Ali chemistry
The trailer, after establishing a few of the supporting character, then introduces Saniya – played by Maya Ali and we get the hints of the soulful romance that the film boasts about being its USP. Saniya and Sheheryar share many moments which transport you to the land of the dreamlike romances that have become so rare in movies nowadays.
The two of them bond over Faiz’s shayari while sitting on the terrace, share a private moment of intimacy during a dance, Sheheryar even transforms an abandoned archive room of a studio into a land of magic for Saniya; the moments and the chemistry shared by Sheheryar and Maya are both beautiful and perfect to be experienced on the big screen.
The twist comes in when Saniya introduces Sheheryar to Hassan, played by Shahbaz Shigri, as her fiancé and we see an intense confrontation between Sheheryar and Saniya. How did their story come to this? Well, the trailer doesn’t answer that and does a wonderful job as it definitely piques the curiosity of the audience to find out the real story by watching the movie.
Of an abundance of characters and shadis
With a star cast that boasts of veterans like Nadeem to Hina Dilpazeer to debutants like Parisheh James and Jimmy Khan, Parey Hut Love has many characters to tell the story. This is excluding the cameos which include Fawad Khan, Meera, Sonya Jehan, Cybil Chaudhry and of course, Mahira Khan in a special role. The trailer does a commendable job in giving each character a moment to shine and perfectly establishes what to expect from them in the film.
At one point in the trailer, Sheheryar exclaims, “Shaadi, shaadi, shaadi! Ye kya obsession hai iss qoum ko shaadi ka?!” This one dialogue very aptly describes the aesthetics of the film. Throughout the trailer, we see glimpses of a whopping four weddings, each different from the other. There are few directors with a vision as grand and as colorful as Asim Raza and Parey Hut Love has his signature touch stamped on all the frames. The production design of the film looks stunning and truly the kind that is made for the big screen. Asim has definitely upped his game after Ho Mann Jahan and based the world of PHL in the beautiful locales of Bahawalpur, Muzaffarabad, and all the way to Turkey.
Of dance numbers, music and more
There is a funeral scene in the trailer with a predominantly white color palette, a dance number featuring Mahira Khan which is drenched red, and a wedding dance number with almost all the major characters decked up head to toe in beautiful couture dresses as they twirl around on a grand dance floor; the world of Parey Hut Love is colorful and bright and instantly captivating.
The music of the film, composed by the brilliantly talented Azaan Sami Khan, promises PHL to be a movie with a soundtrack for the ages. The three songs featured in the trailer, Haaye Dil Bechara (an upbeat, peppy party dance number), Morey Saiyaan (a classical dance number), and Behka Na (a soft, romantic melody) all sound promising and we can’t wait to hear their full versions. There is a big shaadi number sung by Hadiqa Kiyani that wasn’t featured in the trailer but it already has our interest.
A final word
All in all, Parey Hut Love promises a story of love, commitment, and weddings, set against gorgeous visuals and mesmerizing soundtracks. The acting by Sheheryar Munawar looks solid as he switches from a man in love to a man hurt by love. Maya Ali in just her second stint on the big screen shines bright like a star. The few glimpses of Zara Noor promise yet another beautiful performance by this new star and Ahmed Ali Butt, of course, never fails to charm whenever he is on the big screen. The romance and the intensity hinted in the trailer definitely makes PHL a film to watch out for. The trailer definitely has us excited for the film and we cannot wait for it to release more content.
Two weeks have passed since Eid and consequently, the Eid releases. Both the local releases have seen good runs but now the fizz seems to be running out. Eid has almost always been synonymous with good collections but for the past many Eids, the trend that has been seen is that the Eid releases usually struggle to sustain once the holidays are over and this time is no different either.
Wrong No. 2
Starting with Wrong No. 2, the filmhas collected only a meager 2.85 crore in the second week. The fall is around 78% which is huge and it looks like the film will fail to touch the 20 crore mark on the local box office. The movie although did well in terms of reviews, the audience response has been mixed hence the weak numbers.
Chhalawa, on the other hand, has collected 2.35 crore in its second week. The fall in numbers for this movie has been a staggering 81 % and due to this alarming fall, the film hasn’t been able to add much to its kitty in the second week. The film has overall made 14.8 crore which is good for a Wajahat Rauf directorial as this is the highest grosser for the director. The audience response, however, has not been good enough and that shows in the collections.
Both the films had gotten a good number of shows on the opening week/weekend but still, the overall collections are not very impressive. We hope that the next few weeks are good for both of them but truth be told, that does not seem very likely.
These box office numbers are given by an independent box office tracking site EPK Pakistan.
Although we see couples on our televisions every day, there are some that are just hard to forget and their on-screen persona becomes etched in our minds. Some actors naturally share great on-screen chemistry and when they share screen space, there are bound to be fireworks. From Fawad – Mahira to Osman – Maya, we’ve had quite a few loveable joris in the past. Moving forward, our recent dramas have given us more such joris to fall in love with. Here is our list of everyone’s favorites:
Farhan Saeed – Iqra Aziz
Everyone’s favorite Farhan and Iqra starred as Arsal and Jiya in Suno Chanda last year. The banter between the two cousins, trapped in a marriage without consent; and willing to do anything possible to break apart, made the couple look very realistic, thus making viewers fall in love with them.
The show was only a month long but during its short stint, it went on to become a phenomenal success marking Farhan and Iqra as the next IT couple. Due to the popular demand especially for the couple, the show made a comeback last month and yet again the actors were highly praised for their explosive chemistry.
Imran Ashraf – Iqra Aziz
By now everyone knows Imran is a force to be reckoned with. But who does Imran credit most of his success to? That’s right, it’s none other than Iqra Aziz. In his own words, Imran has said that Iqra is his lucky charm and it is his great fortune having worked with a powerhouse like her.
Imran and Iqra first starred together as Yasir and Tabeer in Tabeer as a married couple who are hopelessly in love with each other but fate had other plans for them as Yasir passes away in an accident. Although Imran had a short role in the drama, the connection between the two made the audience wanting to see more.
Recently, the dynamic duo came together in an altogether different avatar in the much-acclaimed drama Ranjha Ranjha Kardi. Imran as the lovable Bhola and Iqra as the strong yet soft-hearted Noori won everyone’s hearts without a doubt. Noori’s small acts of kindness towards Bhola leave us gushing over the couple. The couple shares a love-hate relationship as Noori transitions from a fun loving wife to that of an agitated girl whilst finally seeing her former lover’s true colors and realizing that she has fallen in love with Bhola.
Affan Waheed – Hira Mani
Another super hit drama of the year, which had the audiences glued to their TV screens was Do Bol. Starring Affan and Hira, the drama portrayed the story of star crossed lovers intertwined in family dilemmas.
Affan’s character, Badr was that of a hopeless romantic who would do anything in his might to first procure his lover and then to keep her happy, while on the other hand, Hira played the character of Gaiti, a strong girl yearning for love to come her way.
When everyone turns a blind eye to Gaiti and her feelings, it is Badr who stands by her and takes care of her. Although he got married to her under unforeseeable circumstances, Gaiti comes to terms with her relationship with Badr after seeing the extent to which he loves her. Badr’s simplicity and generosity and Gaiti’s headstrong nature made them a powerful on-screen couple.
Feroze Khan – Sana Javed
A saga that begins with a murder, turns to obsession, metamorphoses into love, and finally converts into ‘Ishq’, Khaani had all the ingredients to make a drama devotee fall head over heels.
Starring Sana Javed as Khaani and Feroze Khan as Mir Hadi, the drama serial enthralled audiences in an intriguing way. When Mir Hadi kills Khaani’s twin brother Sarim; she decides to avenge his murder. Due to her courageous nature, Mir Hadi falls in love with her and tries to woo her over by secretly sending her gifts. As a twisted love story is about to begin, Khaani lets go of her feelings when she realizes her mysterious lover is actually her brother’s killer.
Another love-hate relationship of sorts, Khaani’s rejection towards his love and finally her forgiveness towards Mir Hadi’s heinous crime change him to become a man devoted to love and spirituality. The shift in Mir Haadi’s personality from a rich, spoilt brat to a spiritual lover and Khaani’s brave, iron-willed nature made their characters worth watching.
Feroze and Sana also co-starred in Romeo Weds Heer showcasing some cracking chemistry between the two.
Usman Mukhtar – Naimal Khawar
Usman and Naimal’s pairing as Altamash and Izza came through as lovable from the very beginning of their presence in Anaa.
Izza continued to ward off Altamash’s advances towards her, under the misconception that he is an arrogant man who does not actually have feelings for her, their story built up rather slowly giving their relationship a realistic feel.
Altamash’s character has been established as the best possible suitor for every woman in his circle, a man who plays hard to get even to the woman he loves; Izza. He cannot see her with anyone else yet he won’t express his feelings to her. Izza, on the other hand, it seems is afraid of being rejected by a man who she is attracted to, even though he makes her feel like she isn’t important enough.
Although, the duo has contradictory personalities and dwell in constant arguments; there is a constant pull towards them that makes the audience want them together.
Which one is your favorite television jori? Let us know in the comments.
Pakistanis (actually desis in general) have a deep connection with horror. Regardless of which corner of the country a person belongs to, almost everyone in the country has a horror story to tell. The stories are based on fact and fiction both, and almost always passed down by word of mouth. Phrases like a jinn haunting the deserted terrace of an old house or school buildings standing on top of old graveyards are the ones that an average Pakistani has heard of, at least once in their life.
So, for a country that has an audience which can instantly relate to the stories of supernatural horror, it is a matter of slight concern that its cinema does not explore this genre, already rich of stories waiting to be told. A concern that gets amplified when we see that Pakistani tv serials have made successful horror genre dramas in recent years like Belapur Ki Dayan and Woh.
Horror movies – a worldwide phenomenon
When we look at the global cinema and how movies in the horror genre fare at the box office, we see that it is a genre that is readily accepted by the audience. Hollywood has multiple successful franchises like the Conjuring Series, Insidious,Paranormal Activity to name a few. The highest grossing horror movie of Hollywood, It, was released just two years ago with its sequel slated to release later this year and the expectations for it are already high.
People might not be aware of how the Japanese movie industry works, or know of most of the films made in those industries, but titles like The Ring and The Grudge are known globally. Both films belong to the horror genre and both of them are known by movie lovers worldwide. One of the box office successes from Bollywood last year was Stree, a comedy-horror film. Basically, horror movies have the ability to not only rake high on the critics’ list of “Good Cinema” but also make money when made well.
The scary case of the unexplored horror genre in Pakistan
In the past six years, as Pakistani cinema has steadily gained traction with more and more quality films being produced each year, the horror genre has yet to deliver. There have been attempts made in the genre but they are lackluster if not entirely forgettable. The few noticeable releases in the horror genre post-revival have been: Siyaah, Pari, Maya, and Aksbandh with the upcoming Kataksha taking the number up to five. While Kataksha’s fate is yet to be known on the box office, it has only been Siyaah that did any decent business on the box office as well as gained positive reviews. And that was way back in 2013.
When we look at Pari (its Indian counterpart put us to shame) and Maya, we mostly just see the filmmakers’ complete lack of imagination and willingness to try different things in the genre. With an incredibly uneven pace, bad acting, weak plot and unnecessary incorporation of religion vs. science debate, Pari was far from being a horror film. In all honesty, it looked like an experiment gone wrong that the directors or actors cared too little to rectify.
Cherry on top of the many unexplained things in Pari was the recurring appearance of a nun (the nun shots were probably stolen from Hollywood because there was no explanation to them whatsoever). There was no story behind it, at least not in the movie, and they were not even culturally appropriate, to begin with. If the lack of Islamic values is what you’re attributing this whole drama to, at least have the sagacity to use culturally or religiously appropriate evil spirits.
As for Aksbandh, the filmwas a found-footage horror film but it failed to leave any positive impression owing to a complete lack of originality in the treatment of the genre. It is like the filmmakers don’t take this genre seriously at all which shouldn’t be the case.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih5HZa6uK_w
A final word
Horror is a genre that, by its nature, gives the makers a huge playing field. It is not restricted by the boundary of facts and allows the makers to amp up the imagination to however degree they want all for the sake of immersing the audience in a world of horror. Fear is an emotion that resonates with all human beings on an inherent level. And horror is the genre that directly tackles that inherent emotion.
All we need are some competent filmmakers that take this genre, and its expectations, seriously to churn out an unforgettable piece of cinema. It is about time that the Pakistani cinema delivers a solid horror genre film that we can proudly own up as completely being our own.
Yumna Zaidi, a powerhouse actress of Pakistani Television is turning 30 next month. It is commendable to see how much the actress has achieved at such a young age. She is currently ruling the roost on the TV screens, while her contemporaries are prioritizing films over TV, Yumna believes in staying loyal to her roots and doesn’t want to disappoint her regular audience by shifting professional gears.
Born and brought up in Lahore, the actress recently shifted base to Texas, and got the citizenship of the United States, despite this she prefers spending most of her time in Pakistan and investing more on her craft and her career.
Yumna Zaidi – a case of persistence
Not many people know this that Yumna holds a masters degree in Interior designing. She has also done Radio shows before foraying into acting. Yumna faced a lot of rejection in her initial days. She was discouraged by the people of the fraternity and many naysayers told her that she can never make it big. People told her that her height and looks are not what most A-listers should have but Yumna didn’t let that come in her way.
It was the current heartthrob Affan Waheed who motivated her to pursue acting. Yumna debuted with a supporting role in the Saba Qamar starrer Thakan (2012) which was an ARY production. Yumna played a negative character of Mehak, in the play but she was clear about the fact that she wouldn’t get into any stereotypes and hence did versatile roles in her next plays.
The case of Yumna’s versatility
Yumna boasts of a stunning professional palette as she is one of the rare actresses of her generation to experiment with different genres, such as romance, thriller, socio-political, drama, suspense and even comedy.
In a span of 7 years, Yumna has played path-breaking roles such as that of a tribal girl forced into marriage in Aap Ki Kaneez, an insecure cousin in Mausam, a rape victim in Dar Si Jati Hai Sila and a young widow in Pukaar.
Yumna’s breakthrough role was that of an adopted daughter, Aabroo inKhushi Ek Rog. She shunned her critics with a bonafide performance in the drama. Moreover, it is important to note that her role was completely different from her character in Thakan. In this play, she made everyone cry with her emotional nuances and innocent portrayal of a girl torn between her biological family and her parents who adopted her.
Yumna’s accolades, on-screen pairings, and more
Yumna is a standalone talent and has created her own niche in the industry. Her first acting nomination was for her outstanding performance in Nauman Ejaz and Saba Qamar starrer Ullu Baraye Farokht Nahi at Hum Awards (2014).
Yumna is a true trailblazer and has created her own league. The actress has also received nominations for her superlative performances in Rishtay Adhay Adhooray Se, Mausam, Jugnoo and Yeh Raha Dil. An interesting fact is this that Yumna is the only actress from her generation to receive acting nominations in three different categories that of Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Villain, a feat that indeed is commendable.
Her finest on-screen pairings are with Zahid Ahmed, Ahmad Ali Akbar & Sami Khan.
Yumna revealed to Samina Peerzada on her show that she is a hopeless romantic and is still waiting for the man of her dreams. She is currently in a relationship with her career and intends to make the most out of her professional capabilities. The actress says that had she not been an actor, she would not have had any other career.
Yumna is currently enthralling the audiences with her spellbinding performance in Inkaar; another great example of Yumna’s choice of genre for her dramas for the said serial highlights the issue of consent in relationships. Yumna will also be seen playing the other part of Zahid Ahmed’ split personlity in the upcoming drama Ishq Zah-e-Naseeb. We are looking forward to more memorable performances and authentic social portrayals by the most flourishing face of Pakistani Television.
