A review on Pakistani romantic feature length film, ‘Arth: The Destination’ aka ‘Arth 2’ (2017). The Production Houses are Cinestar and 5th Element while its Distributor is HKC Entertainment
+ Crew
- Written, Directed & Produced by Shaan Shahid
- Cinematography by Luke Rocheleau
- Edited by Sagheer Ahmed and Garry Madisonas
- Music by Sahir Ali Bagga
- Co-Produced by Hammad Chaudhry and Faraz Chaudhry
+Note
Arth is a remake of Mahesh Bhatt’s 1982 film Arth. Mahesh was interested to see his film remake by a Pakistani director and contacted Shaan. The film’s story was originally written by Mahesh Bhatt but was later adapted by Shaan Shahid.
The Production Design is done by Hashim Ali Chaudhry. The product placement is correctly handled. This is something very rare to see been done properly in a good budget Pakistani feature length film.
+ Main Cast
- Shaan Shahid as Ali
- Uzma Hassan as Uzma
- Mohib Mirza as Umar
- Humaima Malik as Humaima
- Emu aka Imran Momina as Ali’s Best Friend
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+ Supportive Cast
- N/A as Uzma’s Best Friend
- N/A as Doctor
- Yasir Hussain as Writer (cameo)
- Ali Azmat as Friend (cameo)
- Rahat Fateh Ali Khan as Himself (cameo)
+ Plot
A struggling musician meets a writer, whose marriage with her husband, a film director is in turmoil because of a fame actress.
+ High Points
i – If people remembered this film, it might be due to its songs. They (almost all of them) are very pleasing to listen to.
ii – The humor throughout the film is quite hilarious. It helped in keeping the interest level.
ii – Love the supporting role performed by Emu. He should give preference on acting career.
iii – Amusing and memorable cameos played by Yasir Hussain, Ali Azmat and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.
iv – Art direction is nicely executed. According to film’s content, Hashim Ali Chaudhry has done a swell job.
v – The makeup & hair-styling have done justice on their part. Stars such as Shaan Shahid, Humaima Malik and Mohib Mirza looked very glamour on-screen.
+ Low Points
i – The first half is a complete mess. It seems as though the director is himself confused in which direction the film should be heading to. The friendship development of Ali and Uzma happens so quickly that the audience could not enjoy it. There was hardly any spark in their chemistry.
As for Umar and Humaima, their scenes were completely dull and boring.From the start, we are shown two hollow characters are in ‘Make Believe’ love. And to add up more spice, their love is so secretive at first that they can’t help it but to date openly in board daylight or to continue their lust affair in public washrooms. It was hard to enjoy watching any of the two couples.
ii – Bad Editing can ruin a respectable performed, directed or written film. This was one of the major flaws of this film.
iii – Weak writing & story telling by Shaan. Since it was adaptation, the original source material should have helped in coming up with (at least) a decent final material.
iv – Mediocre direction by Shaan Shahid. Yes, he is a great actor but not sure on his directive skills. Perhaps he needs more time to improve.
v – Humaima Malick’s only performance I ever enjoyed was in Shoaib Mansoor’s film ‘Bol’ (2011). After that, her work was executed as ‘Overacting’ and ‘Poorly Performed’. Soon she may well be labeled as ‘One Wonder Film’ actress. Her bathing scenes may be very crucial to this film. It is why it was shown at least THREE TIMES.
vi – Cinematographic shots were taken on multiple occasions, similar to how it is shown in the dream sequences or in music videos. They barely touch reality.
vii – Useless / empty role given to Mohib Mirza. A great actor is wasted in a film like Arth.
+ Overall
Arth – The Destination has a talented main cast, led by the always worthwhile Shaan Shahid, but this remake is muddled and curiously withdrawn.
Rate: 2.25 out of 5 stars
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