Instep picks five highlights from the recent films.
The Eid holiday is over but it has left the audience with more highlights to remember than lowlights. Be it the impressive acting of some of the actors or the finely written script, the audience got the value of their money, and so did the critics. Even though the four films released during this period were of different genres and were made by directors belonging to different schools of thought, they did leave some lasting impressions, five of which are presented below.
Nadeem Baig’s powerful performance
Not many veteran actors get a chance to show their talent in Pakistan, once they go past 70 years of age. However, Nadeem Baig was at his best when inducted back into the Pervez Malik camp by his sons, Imran and Irfan, in Azaadi. The yesteryear leading man delivered dialogues that were powerful with zeal and conviction of a legend; not even Moammar Rana was able to match his dynamic performance despite being the younger, more energetic man.
Jawed Sheikh’s impressive detective
Rock, Steve Rock made his appearance too late in Wajood but Jawed Sheikh’s performance was so convincing that the audience decided to stay back and take note. His mannerisms, his smile, his sinister laugh and above all, his look was dissimilar to any character he has played before. Yes, he reminded the audience of Peter Falk’s Columbo but that’s a good sign considering not many have been able to emulate the unkempt detective from the ’70s.
Faseeh Bari’s captivating script
7 Din Mohabbat In turned out to be a surprise hit – many claim it was due to Mahira Khan’s star power or the fresh look of Sheheryar Munawar but the Man of the Match award goes to Faseeh Bari Khan, the writer. Being an experienced campaigner when it comes to scripts, Faseeh knew exactly what the audience wanted and delivered his best performance in his first film (not counting Jeewan Haathi). All the actors portrayed characters in the film that were not only funnily named but also well-acted. Be it Aamir Qureshi’s Naseer Kankatta, Danish Maqsood’s Tingu Master, Amna Ilyas’ Ghazala, Mira Sethi’s Princess Sonu or Jawed Sheikh’s Dwarka Prasad from Delhi, they all made the film look fresh and entertaining at the same time. Mahira Khan and Sheheryar were the stars while Hina Dilpazeer proved to be the eternal scene-stealer as the mother of the (eventual) groom.
The return of Moammar Rana
The action man of the ’90s Moammar Rana is back with Azaadi where he got to do what he loves the most – kill the bad guys and impress the girl at the same time. He may not have delivered a hit since the advent of multiplexes but Momi is still loved in the circuit where he commands respect, makes the audience whistle on his entry and even gets cheered for doing what no other leading man could do better. The film would have done well had it been released ahead of Kashmir Day (February 5th) or Independence Day (August 14th) because it is more of a patriotic film than a romantic one.
Mikaal Zulfiqar’s face-saving act
And then there was Na Band Na Baraati, the Pakistani film that was made in Canada and featured actors from all parts of the world. It was our very own Mikaal Zulfiqar who managed to save the film from going into oblivion with his natural acting and exceptional performance that was expected from him. After all, he has done three Bollywood films (Shoot On Sight, U R My Jaan and Baby) before venturing into the Pakistani cinema. The makers must be thrilled on the film’s release because they had quite a number of issues during the making; Mikaal’s better performance turned out to be the highlight of the otherwise disappointing film.
– Omair Alavi is a freelance broadcast journalist who can be contacted at omair78@gmail.com
