Films are released in Pakistan, either before making their way to international film festivals or vice versa. One such film was Saawan that launched in Pakistan after winning accolades at international festivals.
Films are released in Pakistan, either before making their way to international film festivals or vice versa. One such film was Saawan that launched in Pakistan after winning accolades at international festivals. Similarly, Cake made its world premiere in the UK.
And now there is Gumm: In The Middle of Nowhere that has had multiple screenings at various international film festivals and won several awards in different categories. The film finally premiered in Karachi on Thursday (January 10) and saw the entire cast, crew and a number of celebrities in attendance including singer and actor Junaid Khan and Aditi Singh among others.
Written and directed by Ammar Lasani and Kanza Zia, Gumm, released across Pakistan on Friday, and is the first local release of 2019.
The action thriller features Sami Khan, who has returned to the big screen after 15 years, actor-director Shamoon Abbasi and Shameen Khan in key roles. The film is about a guy Asad (essayed by Sami Khan) who is in love with the character of Shameen Khan. In a turn of events, Sami Khan gets injured and is stranded in a car in the middle of nowhere. He has no recollection of his past and it is here that Khan meets Shamoon Abbasi, a desperate father who is trying to save his daughter’s life. The film highlights the struggle of Asad, who has to face the consequences of his past even though he has no memory of his actions.
According to Ammar Lasani, the action thriller belongs to a genre that has hardly been explored in Pakistani cinema. “Kanza and I worked very hard to stay true to the genre and explore it in a manner that was original, honest and creative,” he shared.
Produced by veteran journalist and writer Shakeel Anjum, though the film is dark, the good thing about it is its innovative camera work (that one usually doesn’t get to witness in local releases) and commendable performances by the cast.
