Box Office: ‘7 Din Mohabbat In’ and ‘Azaadi’ fare well, others fail miserably

-

Movie Name: Wajood

Release Date: June 16, 2018

Director: Javed Sheikh

Review by: Zeeshan Mahmood

Touted as a revenge thriller, ‘Wajood’ is anything but a thriller except for the last ten to fifteen minutes, when Hollywood-inspired Urdu-speaking Turkish detective, Steve Rock, played by Javed Sheikh, makes an appearance and the story takes a little intriguing yet childishly executed turn. Until that point, the film transitions from a romantic comedy to a crime thriller in a painfully slow journey of around two hours.

This is ‘Wajood’ in a nutshell!

Pakistan film industry has entered a critical phase. While on one side new filmmakers are creating a name and a market for themselves in this unpredictable movie-making business, on the other side, some Lollywood veterans are trying to regain the lost territory, still playing tricks from their old-school playbook. After Syed Noor (Chain Aye Na) and Shaan Shahid (Arth) bit the dust recently, this Eid Javed Sheikh went behind the camera after a decade hiatus, trying finding a place for himself in the era of multiplexes and social media.

Instead of hitting the bull’s eye, ‘Wajood’ turns out another nail in the coffin of old-school comebacks. It is quite unfortunate that such a clumsily made product came from Javed Sheikh who has been an integral part of the new-age cinema and acted in some of the biggest hits of recent time here as well as in Bollywood.

The story takes off smoothly and we are introduced to the good-looking pilot, Faizan (Danish Taimoor), who works for a company in Greece. He falls in love at first sight with Arzoo (Saeeda Imtiaz) and embarks on a journey of winning the girl’s heart at any price, even stooping to stalking, which, sadly, still seems romantic to our filmmakers.

Until the intermission, the film glides as a light-hearted romance, propelled by a dash of comedy, making it a bearable part to watch, thanks to Taimoor’s chocolate-hero persona and good production quality. Afterwards, when the multi-millionaire tycoon, Jessica (Aditi Singh), makes the entry, it turns into a deplorable and nonsensical mess, devastated by badly written script, loopholes of gargantuan proportions, and senseless twists and turns. It eventually takes a cataclysmic nosedive and never recovers from it.

Poor script is an ideal recipe for a film’s crash and sadly this holds true in the case of ‘Wajood’.

Besides a dreadfully-written script, another major lowlight of ‘Wajood’ is its melodramatic and amateurish dialogues, the taste of which one can get from the online released teasers and trailer as well. These antediluvian dialogues, which used to sound filmi in the past, felt funny most of the time and irritating at other times in the film.

Javed Sheikh, disappointing as a writer, however, demonstrated his prowess adequately as a director in the movie. The production quality of the film is top-notch and has the cinematic appeal. He chose picturesque locations of Turkey to shoot the film. The romantic numbers are especially very well-shot and are a treat to watch.

At the beginning of his film career, Danish Taimoor took on massy and relatable roles, as in Wrong No. and Mehrunisa V Lub U. However, his character in ‘Wajood’ felt a disappointing decision, as it offered him very little space to deliver and grow. He performed well in the first half, but his relegated character and inhibited acting in the second half was a letdown. He is in dire need of exiting his cocoon and picking projects which make him get out of his comfort zone.

Talking about the female leads, Saeeda Imtiaz and Aditi Singh, both of them failed to leave a mark. Imtiaz got a very underwhelming character to play. She needs to work on her craft, a lot! Singh, on the other hand, played the cliched character of a vengeful woman, which fit her well but made her look one-dimensional and a banal villain.

‘Wajood’ also brought two stalwarts of the golden era, Nadeem and Shahid, together on the silver screen. But, their insubstantial characters did not get any chance to recreate the magic of the past. The eagerly-awaited reunion was a non-event.

It is unfortunate to see that our filmmakers won’t stop dehumanizing and mocking the marginalized transgenders and homosexuals. Time and again we get to see them as laughing stocks and mockable sub-humans in movies. In ‘Wajood’, Ali Saleem plays a homosexual film director, who has a thing for Danish Taimoor’s character. Despite being criminally stereotypical, Saleem played his character very well and succeeded in bringing one or two smiles to the audiences faces.

The music of the film, composed by Sahir Ali Bagga, is a little relief. Bagga lent his voice to all songs and succeeded in offering variety. The title track is quite melodious, especially the female part. It is shot very beautifully as well.

Verdict: ‘Wajood’ tries to be a smart and sultry revenge thriller but it ends up being a ludicrous and nonsensical flick, with poorly structured story, dreadful plot full of loopholes as wide as the gulf between Pakistan and India, melodramatic dialogues, and underwhelming performances. Reminiscent of Bollywood B-grade erotic thrillers, the film only leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Azaadi (Review): A dated wine in a not-so-new bottle

By

Aayan Mirza

-

Movie Name: Azaadi

Release Date: June 16, 2018

Director: Imran Malik

Review by: Aayan Mirza

Nadeem Farooq Paracha, in his book, ‘End of the past‘, makes some interesting observations that take one to the back alleys of the history of filmmaking in Pakistan. While commenting on the filmmaking class of the 60s and 70s, he writes that since its majority belonged to a petty-bourgeoisie background, their stereotypical portrayal of the rich “…was simply a case of…perceiving the lifestyle of another class that they found to be distant. But that didn’t stop them from undertaking some pretty wild guesswork.”

Box Office (Day 3): ‘7 Din Mohabbat In’ and ‘Azaadi’ emerge as Eid winners, others fail to leave a mark

By

-

June 19, 2018

We cannot vouch for the authenticity of these box office numbers given by independent box office tracking site Box Office Detail. However, until we have some official box-office tracking system in Pakistan this is all we have got. The numbers are also revised at times and hence you may observe fluctuations.

It is a clash of the titans as four mega-budget Pakistani films – 7 Din Mohabbat In, Azaadi, Na Band Na Baraati, and Wajood – battle it out at the box office along with three Hollywood biggies (Jurassic World, Hereditary, and Ocean’s 8) this Eid-ul-Fitr.

The Eid weekend ended with generally a commendable box office report of Pakistani films. The local releases, which opened impressively, took a significant flight on the second day and held their position steadily on the last holiday. The three-day combined gross of all Pakistani releases aggregated to around 12 crore, which is definitely a huge win for the local film industry.

Mahira Khan and Sheheryar Munawar starrer 7 Din Mohabbat In topped local releases on the Eid weekend, losing the race only to Hollywood tentpole Jurassic World by a small margin. The rom-com debuted with 1.5 crore and brought in 2.0 crore and 1.8 crore on Day 2 and Day 3 respectively. The cume of the film touched 5.3 crore, banking effectively on the Mahira Khan factor and pre-release hype.

Moammar Rana and Sonya Hussyn starrer Azaadi ended up at the second position on Eid holidays. The action movie raked in 1.05 crore on Day 1, 1.65 crore on Day 2 (readjusted amount), and 1.4 crore on Day 3, bringing its three-day cume to 4.1 crore. The film performed quite better than as expected before release, thanks to its big success at single-screen cinemas.

On the third position, we have Javed Sheikh’s directorial comeback Wajood, which failed to take a high flight and staggered on the box office. The Danish Taimoor starrer thriller opened dismally to 50 lac and brought in 70 lac on the second day and 65 lac on the third day of Eid. The film, with cume of 1.85 crore, lagged far behind other two major releases. This is the first film of Danish Taimoor which opened to such a lukewarm response. His previous films had had better openings than this.

The fourth and last local release, Na Band Na Barati, remained a disaster as it could roughly make 60 lac on three days as per estimates.

Talking about Hollywood tentpole Jurassic World, it topped the box office on Eid holidays after chasing and eventually beating 7 Din Mohabbat In on the last holiday. The film debuted with 1.4 crore and added 2.05 crore and 2.0 crore on next two days, pushing its cume to 5.45 crore. It became one of only three Hollywood movies with the single-day collection exceeding 2 crore in Pakistan.

Here is the summary of the Eid weekend collections of local releases as well as Jurrasic World.

Jurassic World: 5.45 crore
7 Din Mohabbat In: 5.30 crore
Azaadi: 4.10 crore
Wajood: 1.85 crore
Na Band Na Barati: 60 lac

It is also worth noting that Bollywood biggie Race 3 has been postponed for one week. If it were released on Eid, it would have impacted the box office dynamics crucially.

Stay tuned with Galaxy Lollywood for more box office updates.

Box Office (Day 2): ‘7 Din Mohabbat In’ and ‘Azaadi’ grow significantly, as others follow suit

By

-

June 18, 2018

We cannot vouch for the authenticity of these box office numbers given by independent box office tracking site Box Office Detail. However, until we have some official box-office tracking system in Pakistan this is all we have got. The numbers are also revised at times and hence you may observe fluctuations.

It is a clash of the titans as four mega-budget Pakistani films – 7 Din Mohabbat In, Azaadi, Na Band Na Baraati, and Wajood – battle it out at the box office along with three Hollywood biggies (Jurassic World, Hereditary, and Ocean’s 8) this Eid-ul-Fitr.

The Eid festival started on an auspicious note for Pakistani films, and the winning streak continued on the second day. All local releases saw a significant growth on day two, with a collective rise of more than 40%. The combined single-day collections of all Pakistani releases touched the 4.45 crore mark on Eid Day 2.

Also read: Box Office report of Eid Day 1

Talking about the buzziest film of the festival, 7 Din Mohabbat In continued leading the race with a rise of 33% on the second day. Mahira Khan and Sheheryar Munawar starrer rom-com grossed around 1.5 crore on Day 1 and added 2.0 crore on Day 2, taking its two-day gross to 3.5 crore. The Mahira Khan factor is definitely creating its magic at the box office.

Moammar Rana and Sonya Hussyn starrer Azaadi retained its position as it grew remarkably (38%) on the second day. The action movie based on the Kashmir independence raked in around 1.05 crore on Day 1 and added 1.45 crore on Day 2, bringing its two-day gross to the mark of 2.5 crore.

Although Javed Sheikh’s directorial comeback Wajood grew by 40% on the second day, it failed to create a mark on the box office and lagged significantly behind other releases. The Danish Taimoor starrer collected 50 lac on Day 1 and added 70 lac on Day 2, making its two-day gross 1.2 crore.

The fourth and last local release, Na Band Na Barati, remained a disaster as it could earn 40-45 lac in two days only.

The second-day winner is the Hollywood smasher Jurassic World which saw a stupendous growth of more than 45%. The film earned 1.4 crore on Day 1 and 2.05 crore on Day 2, bringing its two-gross to 3.45 crore mark, lying behind 7 Din Mohabbat In by only a small margin.

Here is the summary of two-day collections of local Eid releases as well as Jurrasic World.

7 Din Mohabbat In: 3.50 crore
Jurassic World: 3.45 crore
Azaadi: 2.50 crore
Wajood: 1.20 crore
Na Band Na Barati: 40-45 lac

It is also worth noting that Bollywood tentpole Race 3‘s release has been postponed for one week. If it were released on Eid, it would have impacted the box office dynamics crucially.

Stay tuned with Galaxy Lollywood for more box office updates.

Box Office (Day 1): ‘7 Din Mohabbat In’ and ‘Azaadi’ open the Eid bonanza impressively, others lag behind

By

-

June 17, 2018

We cannot vouch for the authenticity of these box office numbers given by independent box office tracking site Box Office Detail. However, until we have some official box-office tracking system in Pakistan this is all we have got. The numbers are also revised at times and hence you may observe fluctuations.

It is a clash of the titans as four mega-budget Pakistani films – 7 Din Mohabbat In, Azaadi, Na Band Na Baraati, and Wajood – battle it out at the box office along with three Hollywood biggies (Jurassic World, Hereditary, and Ocean’s 8) this Eid-ul-Fitr.

The first day of Eid generally brought some good news for Pakistani films as they collectively opened to a wonderful response, long needed by the local film industry. The combined day one collections of all Pakistani films exceeded the mark of 3.1 crore.

Starting with the buzziest film of the festival, 7 Din Mohabbat In lead the race by opening to a remarkable response. Mahira Khan and Sheheryar Munawar starrer rom-com grossed around 1.50 crore on Day 1, benefiting from the power of young and beautiful cast, pre-release hype and of course the Mahira Khan factor.

Next in line is the Moammar Rana and Sonya Hussyn starrer Azaadi, which opened quite impressively as well. The action movie based on the Kashmir independence raked in around 1.05 crore on the first day, mostly performing better in single screen cinemas as compared to multiplexes.

On the third slot, we have Javed Sheikh’s directorial comeback Wajood, which opened to a lukewarm response and could not come close to the other two major Eid releases. The Danish Taimoor starrer thriller could collect merely 50 lac on opening day, lagging far behind both 7 Din Mohabbat In and Azaadi.

The fourth and last local release, Na Band Na Barati, failed to make any noise as it could earn merely 10 lac on opening day.

Talking about Hollywood releases, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom emerged as another winner for it became the second biggest opener of Eid-ul-Fitr 2018, lagging behind 7 Din Mohabbat In by only a little margin. The dinos helped the movie mint around 1.4 crore on day one, making it perform better than the prequel.

Here is the summary of Eid Day 1 collections of local Eid releases as well as Jurrasic World.

7 Din Mohabbat In: 1.50 crore
Jurassic World: 1.40 crore
Azaadi: 1.05 crore
Wajood: 0.50 crore
Na Band Na Barati: 10 lac

IIt is also worth noting that Bollywood tentpole Race 3‘s release has been postponed for one week. If it were released on Eid, it would have impacted the box office dynamics crucially.

Stay tuned with Galaxy Lollywood for more box office updates in coming days.

Of melodramatic dialogues and non-existent liplocks: In conversation with team Wajood

By

-

June 15, 2018

It is a clash of the titans as four mega budget Pakistani films (7 Din Mohabbat In, Azaadi, Na Band Na Baraati, and Wajood) are all set to battle it out at the box office this Eid-ul-Fitr. Interestingly, they are not the only players, as three Hollywood biggies(Hereditary, Jurassic World, and Ocean’s 8) will also be joining the party which takes the total number of new films coming out this Eid to seven.

Galaxy Lollywood’s Momin Ali Munshi met up with the cast of all four Pakistani releases to know more about the films, discuss release date strategies and to find out what all was keeping the actors on their toes.

Here is our fourth, and the last interview of the series, where we talked to the cast of Wajood, a film which marks the directorial comeback of Jawed Sheikh after a hiatus of nearly a decade. Starring Danish Taimoor alongside newbies Saeeda Imtiaz, and Aditi Singh the film has been shot on an extravagant scale which is visible from the promos which not only make the film look grand but give it a filmy feel. But while the film has been praised for its cinematic qualities the same cannot be said about the dialogues and the script which look a bit cheesy. We talked to the cast and asked them about this and more. Here are excerpts from the conversation

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj4myF0lYZS

Release date shuffles and beautiful co-stars: A conversation with team Na Band Na Baraati

By

-

June 11, 2018

It is a clash of the titans as four mega budget Pakistani films (7 Din Mohabbat In, Azaadi, Na Band Na Baraati, and Wajood) are all set to battle it out at the box office this Eid-ul-Fitr. Interestingly, they are not the only players, as three Hollywood biggies (Hereditary, Jurassic World, and Ocean’s 8) will also be joining the party which takes the total number of new films coming out this Eid to seven.

Galaxy Lollywood’s Momin Ali Munshi met up with the cast of all four Pakistani releases to know more about the films, discuss release date strategies and to find out what all was keeping the actors on their toes.

Here is the third interview where we talked to the cast of Na Band Na Baraati, which is under fire because of the sudden preponement of its release date. For those unaware, the film was going to release on June 29, which was then postponed to July 6, but now has been revised to Eid (June 16) which has upset the other teams. The film marks the first full-fledged leading appearance for actor Mikaal Zulfiqar who has previosuly been seen in Pakistani films like Godfather and Cake. Joining Mikaal will be three newbies Shayan Khan (also the producer), Nayab Khan, and Komal Farooqi who are all going to make their debuts with this film. Here are excerpts from the conversation.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjuScjtl4_k

Of Lollywood comebacks, substantial roles, and fashion evolutions: A talk with team Azaadi

By

-

June 10, 2018

It is a clash of the titans as four mega budget Pakistani films (7 Din Mohabbat In, Azaadi, Na Band Na Baraati, and Wajood) are all set to battle it out at the box office this Eid-ul-Fitr. Interestingly, they are not the only players, as three Hollywood biggies (Hereditary, Jurassic World, and Ocean’s 8) will also be joining the party which takes the total number of new films coming out this Eid to seven.

Galaxy Lollywood’s Momin Ali Munshi met up with the cast of all four Pakistani releases to know more about the films, discuss release date strategies and to find out what all was keeping the actors on their toes.

Also Read: Interview with team ‘7 Din Mohabbat In’

Here is the second interview where we talked to the cast of Azaadi, which is the best-promoted film from the lot and given it has ARY Films as its distributor it will probably be getting the widest release too. Azaadi stars Moammar Rana who has a lot riding on this film which is his comeback of sorts in this new age cinema and it is pretty much a make or break situation for the veteran actor who has charmed the audiences for about two decades now. Starring alongside Moammar is actress Sonya Hussyn who has been a prominent face in the television industry and it is her first foray into mainstream cinema after appearing in the critically acclaimed, parallel cinema film Moor in 2015. Here are excerpts from the conversation.

Discussing budgets, irresponsible distributors, and being burger: A chat with team 7 Din Mohabbat In

By

-

June 9, 2018

It is a clash of the titans as four mega budget Pakistani films (7 Din Mohabbat In, Azaadi, Na Band Na Baraati, and Wajood) are all set to battle it out at the box office this Eid-ul-Fitr. Interestingly, they are not the only players, as three Hollywood biggies(Hereditary, Jurassic World, and Ocean’s 8) will also be joining the party which takes the total number of new films coming out this Eid to seven.

Galaxy Lollywood’s Momin Ali Munshi met up with the cast of all four Pakistani releases to know more about the films, discuss release date strategies and to find out what all was keeping the actors on their toes.

Here is the first interview where we talked to the cast of 7 Din Mohabbat In, which currently seems to be leading the race courtesy lead actress Mahira Khan who is redefining what stardom means with each move she makes. Also, the film marks the second innings for hottie Sheheryar Munawar who was last seen in the 2016 release Ho Mann Jahaan and is coming back to the silver screen after a hiatus of 2.5 years. Also making their presence felt would be actresses Mira Sethi, who makes her cinematic debut with this one, and Amna Ilyas who after a string of item numbers will be seen acting after 3 years. Here are excerpts from the candid conversation with the stars of 7DMI.