Boney Kapoor’s anticipated mother-daughter drama, Mom caught everyone’s attention in Pakistan for more reasons than one. The film was meant to be the debut Bollywood vehicle for Adnan Siddiqui and Sajal Aly. Furthermore, it had an ensemble cast that included terrific actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Akshaye Khanna. And with the eponymous role belonging to the iconic Sridevi, the film had a lot going in its favour.
Adnan Siddiqui & Sajal Aly at the premiere of their Bollywood debut, Mom.
InstepReport
Adnan Siddiqui and Sajal Aly’s Bollywood debut premiere pulls in celebrities and press and picks up strong endorsements from both.
Karachi: Boney Kapoor’s anticipated mother-daughter drama, Mom caught everyone’s attention in Pakistan for more reasons than one. The film was meant to be the debut Bollywood vehicle for Adnan Siddiqui and Sajal Aly. Furthermore, it had an ensemble cast that included terrific actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Akshaye Khanna. And with the eponymous role belonging to the iconic Sridevi, the film had a lot going in its favour.
While the film released on July 7 worldwide, it premiered in Karachi on Thursday night and fortunately lived up to all the expectations that had been bestowed on it prior to release.
Not only did this premiere pull in celebrities and media personnel including the likes of Bushra Ansari, Ayesha Omar, Yasir Hussain, Gohar Rasheed, Bilal Ashraf, Ahad Raza Mir, Hania Amir, Farhan Saeed and the Hocane sisters but it also impressed the staunchest of critics amongst us.
Two of the film’s key cast members, the young Sajal Aly and the versatile Adnan Siddiqui, were also in attendance and had the attention of fans, media and all those who made it to this starry affair.
The film is a brilliant concoction of performances. While Sridevi is at the heart of the movie, Siddiqui’s performance as a husband and father is equally purposeful throughout the film. Sajal Aly, despite her young age, also pulls off her role in an effortless fashion.
During the screening, a video message from Sridevi was presented post interval in which she was teary eyed, and noted how she missed Adnan and Sajal and wished they could share the moment with her. She was apologetic for the entire situation that didn’t allow them to join her for the promotions in India.
As the movie ended, Adnan and Sajal came to the front to share their experience of working in the venture and thanked the audience for their support. Sajal Aly dedicated Mom to her mother who passed away after succumbing to cancer a few months ago.
She stated: “When we were filming the first song, the party song, we had to go to Bangkok for the shoot and ammi was diagnosed with cancer. I was there when I was told that she’s not going to survive. I did the shoot and I returned once it was complete. I’m saying all this because I want to dedicate this film to all the actors because actors are going through so much in their personal lives and they are fighting personal battles every day but at the end the show must go on.”
In a nutshell, this is one film you shouldn’t miss. Highly recommended.
– Read the full review of Mom in the coming issue of Instep on Sunday.
