Aksbandh, an attempt in the found-footage genre, is surprisingly good.
Karachi: Pakistani cinema, currently in experimental mode, has on offer a wide range of genres. As filmmakers develop their own individual, narrative styles, the films, increasing in number with every passing year, will improve, technically and otherwise.
While a string of recent films have failed to live up to expectations, the all-new horror film, Aksbandh, must be commended because it ‘boldly goes where no one has gone before.’
It’s an attempt in the found-footage genre; the plot is, more or less, on the lines of The Blair Witch Project (1999) but it’s the way the story is told that keeps viewers intrigued. The good thing is that the film’s length, clocking in at less than 90 minutes, is short enough to keep the audience interested. And as someone who has seen Meera’s “psychotic thriller” Hotal in a cinema, Aksbandh comes off as a serious effort.
Ayaz Samoo, who made a mark with Jami’s magnificent Moor last year, not only acts in this horror film but has also co-written the script.
The film changes tone – from light comedy to found-footage horror – and the transition is not achieved at the cost of special effects or VFX. Unlike last year’s Maya – that was more comedy than horror – Aksbandh stays within the parameters of horror (although Ayaz Samoo’s character elicits a lot of laughter from the audience).
The story of Aksbandh revolves around a group of friends who decide to make a feature film and venture off to the forests of Larkana, Sindh (where most of the action takes place). While on the way, one friend from the group quits while the rest go missing. What’s fascinating is the fact that it’s their camera that reveals this layered action that has taken place within the forest.
Actor Bilal Yousufzai, who essays the role of Raheel in the film, at the Karachi premiere of Aksbandh.
As a viewer, one is treated to real-time action and even when the recording skips a frame or two, it creates an unmistakable haunting effect, one that is hard to ignore and is not cloaked in subtle comedy.
Written and directed by Emran Hussain and co-written by Ayaz Samoo, Aksbandh is a breath of fresh air for fans of the horror genre in Pakistan.
The producers – Naveed Arshad, Seemeen Naveed and Emran Hussain – may be new to filmmaking but they have a solid background in making ad-films. They used their
collective experience to not only conjure up a novel idea (for this part of the cinematic world) but managed to get their execution right.
The film’s biggest strength is that all the actors featured in the film are playing characters as opposed to actors playing caricatures of themselves and for this accomplishment, the writers deserve a pat on the back.
The other strength of the film is the acting on display; the performances are natural and seamless.
Ayaz Samoo (who has co-written the film) plays Sunny, a guy who comments on everything. Then there is Raheel (Bilal Yousufzai) who wants to go to the toilet even on an island. Aaliya (Mahrukh Rizvi) is new to the gang but stands out on the basis of her looks; Saadia (Shehzeen Rahat) who is the co-director of the film has a don’t-give-a-damn attitude; Shehzad (Saud Imtiaz) is the cool camera guy everyone loves and Ayaan (Danial Afzal Khan), the captain of the ship is the cool dude who doesn’t scare easy.
Except for Samoo (Moor) and Bilal Yousufzai (Halla Gulla), the cast is new but
delivers despite their inexperience.
For die-hard fans of The Blair Witch Project, the film’s territory might look somewhat familiar. But then, how many people in Pakistan have seen TBWP?
Aksbandh, however, is not without flaws. Some of Sunny’s dialogues could have been sharper since bathroom humour doesn’t appeal to everyone.
With found-footage, Aksbandh has already limited its viewership since horror is not a genre appreciated by everyone and when you throw in below-the-belt jokes, it doesn’t help your cause. Some of the sequences look lengthy as well but then that’s the beauty of found-footage, you can’t edit it if you are dead, can you?
– Omair Alavi is a freelance journalist and can be contacted at omair78gmail.com
Ayaz Samoo speaks
“The idea of found-footage belongs to Emraan Hussain, who co-wrote the script and directed
Aksbandh. At that time the story was quite different. As soon as I came on board, I made many changes to the script to make it look new and different.”