Only with courage can we live to the fullest. Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.
If only Momina Duraid and Shahzad Kashmiri’s direction had a little more punch and flair, the movie would have been less of a washout.Īs the new year begins, let us also start anew. Adeel Hussain’s dancing abilities were on display in the dance sequence with Mahira Khan, while the music numbers by Rahat Fateh Ali, Abida Perveen and Zeb Bangash were uplifting. The film has some beautiful cinematic shots of the San Francisco Bay area, and the house in Karachi where the film is shot, has beautiful colonial architecture and woodwork. Your browser does not support HTML5 video. Azra Mansoor’s character as the daadi/grandmother is more evolved, and is a good portrayal of the matriarch grandmother who is the pillar and cement in this extended family. Javed Shaikh, who did such a brilliant job in Na Maloom Afraad, is given just a bland marginalized role as the father of Saba.
The characters, except for Saba, remain unexplored and undeveloped why Irtaza chose to marry Saman, when later he confesses that he loved Saba all along, is never explained. The storyline is a cliché: a love triangle between Saba, played by Mahira Khan, Humayun Saeed as Irtaza, and Armeena Khan as Saman. Farhat Ishtiaq’s script is shallow at best, with minimal dialogue, and long, tedious shots. Her being cast in the Bollywood film Raees, opposite Shahrukh Khan, is recognition of that. Mahira has made a good transition from playing the lead in Pakistani television serials to the big screen. But for Mahira Khan’s electric performance, and an enjoyable music score, the film is lack luster. Mahira Khan as 'Saba' Bin Roye, a production of the Hum television channel, is just the opposite: great hype and marketing of a poor product. Unfortunately, these well-made quality films had poor marketing, and consequently no international impact. Some of the gems that followed were Waar, that broke all records at the box office with its fast paced and polished production and direction Zinda Bhaag, Dukhtar, Na Maloom Afraad and Operation 021 followed in quick succession. And that opened the floodgates to the nascent indie Pakistani films, and there has been no looking back since. He followed this up with his intense and original tour de force Bol, in 2011. The great Shoaib Mansoor with his acclaimed film Khuda Ke Liye broke the jinx on Pakistani cinema, but it was considered a one off success.