This Jalaibee has bite

Karachi

The film Jalaibee’s meet with the press on Tuesday evening was packed with playful banter of its cast and the occasional sweet surprise. We got a glimpse of Zhalay Sarhadi’s thumkas in an item number called ‘Jawani’ that the production team insisted was ‘not-an-item number’ (more on that later). We were treated to Umair Jaswal’s rousing impromptu performance of a few verses from ‘Jee Raha Hoon Main’, his song from the film’s trailer. We were smitten by director Yasir Jaswal’s little son’s support for the film. And we pieced together, from the different actors’ input, how Jalaibee came together over the years.

Although Sajid Hasan had once discouraged director Yasir Jaswal from making the film – “...for which I am sorry now,” he said – he was all praise of the fact that Jalaibee was made with “an international approach, civilised subject, and a progressive mindset.”

“I am glad to have had this new experience at such a young age,” the veteran actor had quipped.

Both lead stars Danish Taimoor and Zhalay Sarhadi said that they were bowled over by the film’s script, which guided their decision to accept first-time film director Yasir Jaswal’s Jaliabee as their film debut.

“I thought the script was outstanding; I couldn’t think of saying anything but ‘Yes’,” shared Taimoor, “Luckily, the shoot dates coincided with those of my TV serial that was cancelled.”

“I’m a very passionate actress; I don’t think of acting as work,” Zhalay had said, “I always pick different roles that I’d enjoy playing. Bunno’s role was completely out of my comfort zone and I’d also have to dance. So I went for it!”

Zhalay’s ‘Jawaani’ places her in a cabaret setting, but is devoid of the vulgar dance moves and revealing clothing that have come to be associated with item numbers. Although director Yasir Jaswal has denied knowing what an item song is, the film’s producers seem to have relied on this crowd-pulling tactic that has reaped results in the past (case in point: Na Maloom Afraad).

Surprisingly, the lovely British-Indian model/actress Sabeeka Imam stepped in to play a part that Pakistani actresses had turned up their noses at. “No one was willing to play a role smaller than Zhalay Sarhadi’s Bunno,” she shared “But I said, ‘I’m an actor, I don’t care, I love the role, so I’m going to accept it.’” She added that although she has never worked in a Pakistani film production before, she wasn’t concerned about the film’s quality because she had seen the teaser and was impressed.

Uzair Jaswal also didn’t mind being cast in a minor role. “My brother discouraged me from taking on a small role, saying that it wouldn’t be good for the start of my career. But I wanted to be a part of my brother’s film, who has always been one of my inspirations.” He also expressed the hope that young people would now look forward to seeing Pakistani films, rather than turning to Hollywood or Bollywood.

Adnan Jaffer expressed surprise that his role, which he had earlier imagined to be a local goon who runs off with a girl, was in fact a “cool, hip, urban, guy (with a liking for three-piece suits).”

The usually shy Yasir Jaswal spoke at length about the many people who helped him through the long and arduous process of making the film, including the cinematographer Mo Azmi and the stylist and casting director Ehtesham Ansari. But the highlight of his speaking turn was the ‘awww’-inspiring moment when his son came up on stage and said that he wanted to watch Jalaibee. “I hope more Pakistanis share my son’s sentiments,” Jaswal said.

The soundtrack, which the director promised will be released soon, features Umair Jaswal, Shuja Haider, Zohaib Kazi, Lahore-based band East Side Story, Chicago-based band Coastal and Ghazal Ali and has been directed by Sarmad Ghafoor.

Described by Yasir Jaswal in an earlier interview with Instep as “a film somewhere in the middle of a comedy like Na Maloom Afraad and an action flick like Waar,” this comedy caper involves several intertwining storylines like that of friends Billu (Danish Taimoor) and Bugga (Ali Safina), who have defaulted on a loan with the mafia and are scrambling to pay it back, the vengeful Ali (Wiqar Ali Khan) who conspires to kidnap the mafia lord, and the mafia frontman Dara (Adnan Jaffer) who juggles the tasks of recovering the debt and thwarting the kidnapping – a plot with as many twists and turns as a jalaibee.

Jalaibee is releasing simultaneously in six countries on March 20.