Yesterday, I watched the much-awaited film, Chambaili – the first in a long list of Pakistani feature films under production and probably the most hyped movie since Bol that was released two years ago.

It is a shame that Pakistanis have to wait for such a long period of time between the production and release of films; that said, the movie is worth the wait. It is far superior to the films produced by our bigger and greater neighbour.

Disclaimer- spoiler alert!

Chambaili is like no other film. The movie revolves around the political structure of a country – it draws an underlying comparison to the current state of Pakistan, which many hope will be saved by a drastic leader. If only it was so easy in real life…

Sarmad’s (Ali Tahir) family is at the centre of the political drama. The movie starts with his return to Pakistan from Canada. It is through him that we are introduced to his family and his precious house. His cousin (played by Mahira Khan) is a young, hopeful and adamant woman, who believes in change and preserves posters of revolutionaries to hangs up in the house.

The lead protagonists of the movie are Sarmad’s two best friends, Saif (played by Shahzad Nawaz) and Musa Azeem (played by Ehtishamuddin), a journalist. The movie does not provide a ‘warm up’ period; rather, it jumps straight into action. From the beginning of the movie we see Saif being held up in the middle of a political rally (in broad day light) that is held by the Inquilab party while driving with his soon-to-be-wife, Nida (played by Mehreen Syed). Although, some may disagree, but the scene depicted here is unrealistic and exaggerated; Nida’s reactions are over the top and comical.

Furthermore, the police refuse to file an FIR against the political party that is governed by Sardar (played by Salman Peerzada), whose grandfather founded the town and had been ruling over it ever since. Although this incident hardly seems to serve as a strong enough motivation to start a political movement, after Sarmads house is ransacked by the Inquilab party, (who wants to buy it) Musa and Saif coax Sarmad into a protest outside the press club and start a hunger strike which eventually leads to the establishment of their own political party called Chambaili.

The movie seems to have all its bases covered with strong elements of nationalism, twists, emotional appeal and even a full out mehndi dance; where it lacks, though, is scene and character development. The camera often jumps from one scene to another leaving the audience uninvolved.

The pitfall of jumping straight into action is that the audience fails to emotionally invest in the characters. Characters appear as strangers since we do not know their history or their lives apart from the role that they play in the movie. For instance, Nida decides to walk away from Saif due to his political aspirations. Saif chooses his country over the love of his life and this should have been a strong emotional moment in the movie, but it suffers due to the lack of attention given to their relationship. Despite the quick flash backs and the love song playing in the background, the audience remains unmoved.

It is only towards the intermission that the pace of the movie picks up and it is largely due to the amazing performance of Ethishamuddin as Musa Azeem that the audience gets involved in the movie. Where others have failed, Ethishamuddin shines; he has brilliantly played his character. Musa Azeem also has the most distinct voice in the movie; his hard hitting dialogues coupled with some brilliant cinematography send the audience into a whirlwind of emotions.

At one point in the film, his monologue with shots of people suffering in the background surely deserves a trophy.

“Tum abhi sotay raho bhai, abhi zulm aur tum mai tumhara fasla baqi hai…”

(Brother, keep sleeping; there is a distance between cruelty and you.)

Speaking of the good, the soundtrack of the movie is absolutely fantastic with the videos and soundtracks already going viral before the release of the movie. The qawali, Raba Sohniya deserves a special mention here.

I believe that the best member of the crew was the director of photography and the art directors. The scintillating shots coupled with an intricately detailed production ensures that the movie compares to any other Hollywood movie – if not better!

The movie is set in ‘Mulke Khudadad’, which is meant to be a clear parallel to Pakistan. It is due to that very reason that it really resonates with the audience; the ‘awam’ that the movie speaks of is the ‘awam’ that goes to the cinemas to watch this movie.

Eavesdropping into conversations of people after the movie, I observed a sense a sense of pride; pride in our nation, pride in our cinema and pride in the beauty of the people of this country.

Just like the movie talks about the disheartening reality of this country, it also talks about hope and change, which is much needed in times of today. Overall, Chambaili raises hope for Pakistani cinema.

Yes, there is still a lot to learn with some of the cinematographic techniques over used and some poor editing stopping scenes from developing, at times and making the screenplay rushed. However, the team behind Chambaili has embarked on an ambitious project and they decided to swim against the current by producing such a movie and they should be lauded and applauded for this effort.

Chambaili is the perfect tonic for Pakistan. It shows that entertainment can be thought provoking, the timing of the release is immaculate and the message is very apt for the audience. It is time for us to wake up, it is time for us to do something to change our lives; sometimes a revolution may just be triggered by a movie and Chambaili seems to be the perfect movie to start a revolution of ideas and dialogue.

It was heartening to see a full cinema enjoying a Pakistani movie and the utopian dream of the movie may never come true but it makes us dream of a better Pakistan. In a country, bereft of heroes and role models, fictional or real, I will leave the concluding message to Musa Azeem,

“It is very important to dream.”

Pakistani cinema has been lying dormant for the most part ever since the release of Shoaib Mansoor’s Bol, followed by the done-to-death phrase ‘revival of Pakistani cinema’ which surfaced yet again. Pakistani cinema though never picked up as was expected. The number of releases post Shoaib Mansoor’s magnum opus could at best be described as paltry, generally consisting of commercial pot-boilers with gun-wielding thugs being seduced by stout, gaudily clad women gyrating to screechy music.

However the entertainment industry of late has been abuzz with talks of a number of promising films which are purportedly in the pipeline. Making a film in this part of the world, it goes without saying, is no easy feat. A lack of adequate infrastructure, financial constraints and an absence of a professional industry bereft of any government support impede the process of producing and releasing a film. The high budget multi-starrer Waar still has not seen the light of day, while a film like Lamha – Seedlings, which garnered much international acclaim, is yet to be released nationally.

In light of the non-conducive environment for filmmakers in Pakistan, it comes as a symbolic achievement when an independent, low-budget film such as Siyaah made by a group of youngsters is released commercially. The film has been produced by Imran Kazmi, directed by Azfar Jaffri and written amongst others by Osman Khalid Butt.

The promotions of the film started on social media, with short teaser trailers generating numerous hits. This modest promotion soon gave way to its trailer being played on major television networks, a first for a small-scale venture of this kind.

The title Siyaah aptly embodies the cryptic content of this hair-raising horror flick. The story revolves around a married couple, Bilal (Jabbar Naeem) and Zara (Hareem Farooq) who move into a new house on the outskirts of Islamabad following a personal tragedy. They decide to adopt a child to mitigate their woes and the plot thickens. Little Natasha (Mahnoor Usman), is no regular child and entangles the lives of her foster parents in a web of ominous experiences.

The concept may be old wine in a new bottle, but its screenplay and treatment make it somewhat of a nail-biting rollercoaster ride that keeps you glued to the edge of your seat until the end credits roll.

One would expect film novices namely with a theatre background to be incapable of pulling off an evocative film convincingly, but the team of Siyaah have without a doubt risen to the occasion. They have handled the concept maturely and whipped up moments that leave a lasting impact. The makers have cleverly worked around the handicap of budget constraints and refrained from adding overambitious special effects which could potentially seem substandard. They have instead focused on eerie background music (by Ahmed Ali), long pauses and a tight screenplay which prove highly effective in exacting horror.

Some clever editing with rapid montage sequences make for powerful viewing and leave the viewer shaken up. The director employs unconventional techniques like the use of black frames when the drama is at its pinnacle. With only sound taking the narrative forward for those few seconds, one is left to imagine the unfolding horror. This evokes fear and perplexity in an overpowering manner. While staring at the black screen one is left feeling desolate in the eerie world of Siyaah to experience the trauma the characters are undergoing.

Osman Khalid Butt’s writing is to be lauded for its incredible ability in generating moments of horror, which often jolt you. He constructs the scenes in an unpredictable fashion which leave you twiddling your thumbs in nervous anticipation, eventually leading to a climax that has you stupefied. The writing thankfully steers clear of clichés and employs creativity in fleshing out intimate interactions between the protagonists in unnerving situations which really resonate with the viewer.

Mahnoor Usman stands out as an actor for she is the centerpiece of the atmosphere of horror and lives up to her role. She has an incredible command over her expressions for a girl her age and captures the coy and venomous subtext of her character quite remarkably.

Hareem Farooq, who has many noted theatre projects including Pawnay 14 August to her credit, makes her film debut in Siyaah and has a challenging role at hand as her character finds herself in a predicament. She stars as the harried woman who has the unenviable responsibility of being a mother to a girl who exhibits supernatural tendencies. Hareem in particular is strong at delivering emotional scenes and portrays the peculiar dilemma her character has to face with great honesty. Nonetheless, some of the scenes where she has to express anger or incredulity leave you craving for more.

Bilal is a young and cocky construction worker and a loving husband who provides solace to his anguished wife. His character has some of the meatier sequences in the film which he enacts with the potency that is required from him. One of his scenes to look out for, is the mirror sequence that is gritty and jarring and one of the high points of the film. That said, Jabbar Naeem in some scenes appears to hold back his expression which makes his rendition appear a bit linear.

Ahmed Ali who plays a journalist interviewing Zara, exudes a certain charm on screen and delivers a nuanced performance. He is compelling in his portrayal of a clinical and calculating man and keeps a restraint about himself.

The film’s grotesqueness is nicely balanced with some light moments and witty pop culture references. These seemed to go down well with the cinema audience who for instance were giggling away to an allusion made to pea soup while mocking Hollywood exorcism flicks.

The audience was quite responsive and gasped and screamed at the scary moments and lamented at the sad ones, discussing the film’s developments in whispers. For the duration of the film they were completely engrossed in the world of Zara, Bilal and Natasha.

Though the story of Siyaah is based in an upper-middle class, urban setting, the content of the film is such that it would have a wide outreach since the rousing situations explore universal fears, making you tread those dark corners of your imagination that send a chill down your spine.

It must be underscored that though the film is the work of newcomers who lacked access to state-of-the-art facilities, due attention needs to be paid to technical aspects of film production. Many of the scenes in the first half of the film appear fuzzy, with some falling victim to improper focusing which gives some frames an amateurish look. Moreover some of the shots aren’t composed with a cinematic sensibility and lack the presentation that one would expect from a feature film. There were even some minor inconsistencies on the dubbing front in the initial reels of the film. But even with all its shortcomings Siyaah is far superior to many of the outlandish Bollywood films belonging to the horror genre.

Lollywood has always been under the shadow of Bollywood for all these years as the predominant format of the two industries is similar but India is miles ahead in terms of their films’ production values. The Indian movie industry thus has come to represent South Asian cinema internationally. The only way forward for Pakistani filmmakers to cultivate a distinct identity for Pakistani cinema is by producing independent films which are innovative in terms of script and film technique and carry a unique style that sets then apart. Iranian cinema is perhaps one to look up to as it is known for its hard-hitting storylines and robust production. As far as independent cinema in Pakistan goes, Siyaah will go down in Pakistan’s film history as a triumph for independent filmmakers since it has managed to find distribution nationwide which many other films failed in achieving and thus stands shoulder to shoulder with the Hollywood and Bollywood biggies competing for the same screening slots.

If you are a fan of horror this one should not be missed!

By Taran Adarsh

Rom-coms appear to be the most preferential genre, notwithstanding the fact that you can foretell where the narrative is headed a few minutes into the film. But what sets most rom-coms apart is the implementation of the theme. It all hinges on how persuasively the narrator recounts and executes the plot, how compelling the central characters are, how mesmeric is their chemistry on screen and most importantly, does the cinematic account have soul?

The Hindi film industry is famed for churning out rom-coms by the dozens year after year, but just a handful of films dare to defy the stereotype. LONDON PARIS NEW YORK, directed by first-timer Anu Menon, is, in all honesty, one of those flicks that dares to be diverse.

LONDON PARIS NEW YORK is a chic rom-com that’s filmed — no prizes for guessing — in three hot-n-happening cities of the world. But unlike the rom-coms churned out in the past, this one’s more for spectators with urban receptiveness and a refined taste for cinema, on the lines of say an EK MAIN AUR EKK TU or a WAKE UP SID. What also sets this film apart is the fact that the story unfurls in eight years in three of the world’s most thrilling cities, with the viewer getting a foretaste of everything that’s allied with a rom-com in this globe-hopping voyage.

LONDON PARIS NEW YORK mirrors the torment and ordeals of the twenties, the most vivid segment of one’s life — when you are taking a call on what course your life ought to take, you have your first momentous relationship and most significantly, structure your personality in this world. This is the story of Lalitha [Aditi Rao Hydari], a middle class South Indian girl from Chembur [a suburb in Mumbai], who is on her way to New York to study politics, and Nikhil [Ali Zafar], a rich Punjabi kid from Bandra [a posh western suburb of Mumbai], who’s going to study film making in London. They decide to hang out together one evening in London and find that they are completely drawn to each other even as their future lies on separate continents.

The film follows their special voyage and their love story as they meet in London, Paris and New York over eight years. The film is in three subdivisions and each chapter is shot in a manner that mirrors the psychological state of Nikhil and Lalitha.

Armed with an inventive and ingenious plot, LONDON PARIS NEW YORK owes its allegiance, to an extent, to the Hollywood movie [500] DAYS OF SUMMER than to the atypical Bollywood rom-com. The director makes an endeavor to be as bona fide and natural as possible, illustrating sentiments that adolescents go through when they fall in love and also all that comes with it, including pain, angst and torment when heartbreak occurs. That’s what makes LONDON PARIS NEW YORK an unblemished and credible take on relationships, with authentic and identifiable circumstances, germane and relevant dialogue [Ritu Bhatia and Anu Menon] and no overstated styling of the actors’ attire or hair/tresses.

Besides, like I indicated at the outset, Anu Menon chucks away the time-honored prescription of exaggerated drama that we are so acclimatized to watching in Hindi movies. Instead, she makes the narrative spirited and vivacious by depicting characters that you witness in factual life. In a way, the film emulates what one is so used to watching in our everyday life and that’s where the exquisiteness of the film lies. A contemporary romance that’s so credible, so realistic, so coherent.

However, LONDON PARIS NEW YORK is not devoid of its share of hiccups. The languid tempo in the first hour, with the narrative getting a little too verbose and talk-heavy, is a deterrent. Above and beyond, there’s not much of advancement in the story after the two central characters are introduced. It’s only a few minutes preceding the interlude that the wheels start undulating. What transpires in the second hour shoots the graph of the movie northwards. The exhilaration builds up magnificently, leading to an explosive culmination. In fact, the concluding moments — I’d like to single out Ali Zafar’s flare-up — are worthy of additional brownie points. The sequence is so brilliant that it reverberates even after the movie has concluded.

Filmed in three most dazzling cities of the world, the movie boasts of some enchanting visuals. The director and also the DoP [Sameer Arya] have the aptitude for fitting camera placement, bestowing the film with a certain added charm.

Ali Zafar shoulders multiple responsibilities in this movie, which comprises of composing the songs as well as writing the lyrics. The actor/composer sticks to the theme of the film and comes up with tunes that uphold the synergy with the plot and setting of the movie. ‘Woh Dekhne Mein’ is, of course, the cream of the crop. The title track is racy and ear-pleasing.

In TERE BIN LADEN, Ali Zafar made the spectator break into guffaws and in his subsequent outing MERE BROTHER KI DULHAN, he made you grin and beam. Perceptibly, one would imagine Ali Zafar to get into the jocular and frivolous zone yet again in LONDON PARIS NEW YORK. Ali gets to depict a character that’s a far cry from the hackneyed characters one is so used to watching and I must add, he glows luminously all through the film, particularly towards the concluding installment in New York. This motion picture will motivate even his staunch critics to structure an elevated estimation of him as a performer and revere him as an artiste of immense caliber.

Aditi Rao Hydari looks stunning, but more significantly, she appears to capture every moment, every scene most radiantly in this coming-of-age love story. She has an unadulterated take on how to construe a scene. What you get to witness is much ahead of the customary expressions and rejoinders. She appears so unflustered and unperturbed even in the most intricate moments, which only goes to prove her remarkable credentials as an actor. Besides, the intimate moments between Ali and Aditi are aesthetically filmed, not looking forced or an aberration in the scheme of things. Dalip Tahil and Mantra appear in a cameo.

On the whole, LONDON PARIS NEW YORK is akin to a lungful of fresh air amidst the hackneyed and passe rom-coms. It’s a quirky, witty, coming-of-age movie that takes a conventional premise and twirls it into something delightfully unconventional, designed to charm and magnetize the urban youth. The movie speaks their lingo, mirrors their objectives and depicts the anguish and elation of falling in love. If you are young or young at heart, celebrate your weekend by leaping on to this feel-good earth hopping romance.