Pakistani cinema saw several highs this year; films like Motorcycle Girl, Cake and Load Wedding won hearts with their strong content while Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2, Teefa in Trouble and Parwaaz Hai Junoon were packed with entertainment. This weekend Dubai-based writer-director Shazia Ali Khan released her debut film Pinky Memsaab – A Dubai Story, which added to the list of content-driven films that may give urban viewers a reality check but then they may also only appeal to a niche audience.
Starring Hajra Yamin as ‘Pinky’ and model turned actor Kiran Malik as her ‘Memsaab’, Pinky Memsaab premiered at Cinepax Cinema, Ocean Mall in Karachi on Thursday. It was more of a private screening with a few friends, celebrities, industry insiders and press in attendance. Some of the celebs spotted on the occasion aside from the cast and crew include Deepak Perwani, Saqib Malik, Nabeel Qureshi, Fizza Ali Meerza, Tooba Siddiqui, Hira Tareen, Nimra Bucha, Samina Ahmed, Zain Ahmed and Imran Ashraf, among others. Those in attendance appreciated the effort and had mostly good things to say about the film as well as the performances.
Pinky Memsaab is a small film that traces life and its complexities in Dubai, as four individuals struggle to find themselves amidst the fast-paced world they are operating in. Pinky, essayed by Hajra Yamin - who was effortless in her performance - heads to Dubai to earn money after a failed marriage. She serves as a maid to Mehr – played by Kiran Malik – a Dubai-based writer married to an investment banker Hasan, played by Adnan Jaffar. Pinky meets Santosh – Sunny Hinduja – and becomes good friends with him while he develops feelings for her. As their lives overlap, life puts them in situations that lead them to where they actually belonged.
Someone as naïve as Pinky learns to make way for herself and strives to do better while Mehr, who apparently has everything a woman would dream about, struggles with her work as well as her relationships. Hasan, who chose money over passion, is entangled between work and his personal life that leads to major consequences on the latter. Santosh, who is working in Dubai away from his homeland, longs for true companionship.
Hajra Yamin, who looked every bit a star at the premiere, in an embroidered Huma Adnan sari, delivers an effective performance as Pinky and pulls off her mannerisms really well in the film. Adnan Jaffar leaves an impact whenever he appears on the screen while Kiran Malik fits the character well but there is only so much she could do; her role has limitations. Indian actor Sunny Hinduja adds a comic element to the otherwise serious script and makes way for some good laughs.
Pinky Memsaab has its happy and dark moments as it attempts to highlight the harsh realities of life featuring people belonging to different social classes and backgrounds. The music, composed by Abbas Ali Khan, is very unique and complements the overall feel of the film.
Writer, director and co-producer Shazia Ali Khan has done a great job as a first timer and has been able to make a film that people who have been in similar situations can relate to, as those present at the premiere pointed out. However, it may not resonate well with everyone, especially the masses who generally prefer entertaining, masala movies. Given its slow pace, it will only cater to a limited audience in Pakistan though it may resonate better in foreign markets, Dubai especially. What we can appreciate it for, beyond the basics, is the fact that it’s a female centric film, portraying and projecting a woman’s perspective.
Post the screening, the cast and crew engaged in a Q & A session with the audience.
Shazia Ali Khan was asked whether she ‘wondered’ the film would do well commercially, to which she replied, “‘Wonder’ is a very mild word; it’s giving me sleepless nights. But we need to do this. We can’t stop making indie films just because they don’t make money; we have to stay true to the genre. It is a very honest effort. It is very difficult to find finances for such projects. We did our best, the audience will decide the rest.”