Month: June 2019

TV series

Mr. Khan’s Review on Pyarey Afzal (2013)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani TV Drama Serial, Pyarey Afzal (2013), [Dear Afzal]. The Production House is Six Sigma Entertainment while its Distributor is ARY Digital.

 

 

+ Crew
I. Directed by Nadeem Baig
II. Written by Khalil-Ur-Rehman Qamar

 

 

+ Note

Pyarey Afzal aired on ARY from 26th Nov 2013 – 12th Aug 2014. It consists of total 37 episodes. The Opening theme “Pyar Ko Pyar Mila” Sung by Waqar Ali. The show was a major critical and commercial success and the last episode was aired in various cinema screens within the country and became first one to do so.

This drama serial was also highly trended on social networking sites and became a “cult” in Pakistan.

 

 

 

+ Main Cast

  1. Hamza Ali Abbasi as Afzal Subanullah
  2. Aiza Khan as Farah Ibrahim
  3. Sana Javed as Lubna Ibrahim
  4. Sohai Ali Abro as Yasmeen
  5. Firdous Jamal as Maulvi Subanullah
  6. Saba Hameed as Ruqayya Subanullah
  7. Anoushey Abbasi as Arfa Subanullah

 

 

xxxxxxxxx

 

 

+ Supportive Cast

  1. Saba Faisal as Irsa Ibrahim
  2. Shehryar Zaidi as Sheikh Ibrahim
  3. Farah Nadeem as Yasmeen’s mother
  4. Vasay Chaudhry as Dr. Sibtain
  5. Umer Naru as Mehtab
  6. Malik Raza as Wali
  7. Ali Sheikh as Babu Hameed

 

 

 

+ Plot

It surrounds Afzal, son of Maulvi Subanullah. Afzal does not take his life seriously but loves to play cricket and gamble on it. When his father threats to leave home forever, Afzal swears to work hard and live honest life instead. Meanwhile it is a mystery to all, if Farah the elder daughter of Sheikh Ibrahim is not the same ‘Farah’ who has send love letters to Afzal all those years then who did?

  

 

+ High Points
i – Hamza Ali Abbasi is truly a charismatic, remarkable performer. He played the lead role ‘Afzal’ the misguided but kind heart son of Maulvi Subanullah very splendidly.

ii – Firdous Jamal as Maulvi Subanullah played his role admirably and still remains a wonderful actor for the viewers.

iii – Sohai Ali Abro as Yasmeen played a strong, brave woman role. It was exciting to watch her performance and was a very important character of this drama series. Honorable Mentions are: Aiza Khan and Sana Javed.

iv – Even though this drama series reached till 25th episode, even then I was watching it very keenly. Not once did I felt that they were dragging the story. This is the first time ever since I started watching Pakistani TV drama series.

v – I am very happy how the complete story was written. It is really tough mechanism to do is to present a simple story in most attention-grabbing manner.

 

 

 

+ Low Points
i – When Afzal imagines that Farah have paid a personal visit to him at hospital, she is wearing exact same dress in his imagination as she is wearing it the same day (in reality). BTW why do we so many imaginations in almost every drama series for? All the time playing with viewers’ expectations…

ii – When Farah openly refuses to get engaged to Afzal, further degrades him in front of both parents — her parents do not say anything to her or scold her instead just quietly accepts whatever she is saying to Afzal.

iii – When Mehtab again makes his appearance in this series, he requests Lubna (disguise as Farah) to reconsider his wedding proposal. Afterwards, we don’t hear from him again although we as viewers know well that he was (and still is) head over heels in love with Farah and cannot take ‘No’ for an answer.

iv – All was going well till we came across the episode where Afzal needs to take blood revenge from Wali. At that moment I realized, how this great drama series would come to its miserable end. Rather than keeping the story down to earth, as simple as possible; they just could not help it and forced a crime, murder element into it.

v – In the finale, we see that Afzal drops Yasmeen at her home in a grey car but when he returns his home town (same night), his car is different and in white color. Yes, from grey it is now white car. The question is how it is possible that this fame drama series would do such a Blunder?

Well, the most logical explanation is that perhaps that the BTS team after shooting the grey car shot with Hamza & Sohai, they must have realized that the blood would look better and visible on a white car instead. Without giving a logical reason to the viewers, we have a white car and said ‘No one would actually notice it on such an emotional scene’.

 

+ Overall
It’s hard not to admire its simplicity rom-drama, but Pyarey Afzal is also too clumsily manipulative to rise above its melodramatic clichés.

 

 

Rate: 3.25 out of 5 stars

 

TV series

Mr. Khan’s Review on Sammi (2017)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani TV Drama Series, ‘Sammi’ (2017); its Production Houses are MD Productions and Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs while Distribution is done by Hum TV.

 

 

+ Crew

  • Directed by Saife Hassan
  • Written by Noor-ul-Huda Shah
  • Edited by Saad Bin Jawed & Jamil Iqbal
  • Music by Sahir Ali Bagga
  • Produced by Momina Duraid

 

 

+ Note

Sammi aired on Hum TV from 29th Jan 2017 to 25th Jun 2017. In total it consists of 21 episodes. It centers social issues on the rural society revolving around the concept of Vanni, the series shows moral lessons against common issues such as gender discrimination.

The Opening theme Jag Khed’da Phire sung by Zeb Bangash and Zaheer Abbas while its lyrics written by Maj. Imran Raza.

 

 

+ Main Cast

  1. Mawra Hocane as Sammi Jutt
  2. Adnan Siddiqui as Rashid
  3. Rehan Sheikh as Chaudhry Rab Nawaz Raja
  4. Sania Saeed as Chandi
  5. Haris Waheed as Waqas Jutt
  6. Saman Ansari as Salima
  7. Bilal Khan as Aaliyan

 

 

xxxxxxx

 

+ Supportive Cast

  1. Nadia Afgan as Naheed
  2. Ahad Raza Mir as Salar
  3. Seemi Raheel as Zarina
  4. Madiha Rizvi as Zulekha Chaudhry
  5. Irfan Khoosat as Riaz Jutt
  6. Humera Ali as Nargis Jutt
  7. Nazar Hassan as Ghulam Mustafa

  

xxxxxxx

 

+ Minor Cast

  1. Noor-ul-Hassan as Fazal-ud-din Jamaluddin (Ba Fazal)
  2. Kinza Malik as Bilquis
  3. Beena Chaudhry as Naheed’s sister-in-law
  4. Malik Raza as Naheed’s brother
  5. Zain Mirza Baig as Pervaiz (Cameo)
  6. Saife Hassan as Zulekha’s Relative (Cameo)

 

 

 

+ Plot

With the deal of being Vanni, it revolves around the journey of Sammi, a young girl who was sold off by her family to the Chaudhry family where her brother had killed her fiancée.

 

 

+ High Points

i – Saman Ansari as Salima gave a very strong performance as helpless mother of 4 – 5 daughters and a very concerned wife. She played a vital role as a supportive character to co-star Adnan Siddique who played as her husband. Salima’s desperate desire for a son with a belief who would bring long lasting happiness and great strength by the side of his father was very well convinced on-screen. This is definitely a memorable character Saman has performed. Thumbs up!

ii – Sania Saeed as Chandi played out a solid performance as emotional, overprotective mother. She plays really well this kind of role and usually is landed with a similar character to play. Other Honorable Mentions: Humera Ali, Haris Waheed, Rehan Sheikh, Seemi Raheel and Adnan Siddique.

iii – A different plot with a different and interesting story to tell. The tribal legacy, coming up with their personal rules and regulations at their territory was the edge here.

iv – A good and satisfying finale.

v – Some of the characters were very well written, such as Aaliyan portrayed by Bilal Khan and Adnan Siddique’s character as Rashid.

vi – For such a small story, 21 episodes were enough. It’s a good call by the director, for not producing unnecessary episodes.

 

 

+ Low Points

i – Mawra Hocane acting is… fair at best. It’s a wonder, how she was landed with the lead role?

ii – The drama series had huge lack of interest for me, hard to say that I enjoyed watching it.

iii – Type caste roles are given to most of the cast members. Fresh & talented faces needed!

iv – It seems that TV industry has made their habit to give emotional scenes to Sania Saeed to do. I mean, can’t she be given something comic to do?

v – It’s possible that Chaudhry Rab Nawaz’s power was shown much lessened than the usual cruel waderas that we watch or see in real life, only to differentiate him from others. This story is however based on a novel. Talking about his abuse of power, I always felt that he could do much more than this but holding himself back; though one reason was shown much later due to his son’s change of heart.

 

 

 

+ Overall
Sammi is ambitious drama series and succeeds on a number of levels but it has some flaws especially in the department of gaining interest level and consisting of the weak lead performer.

 

 

Rate: 2.75 out of 5 stars

 

TV series

Mr. Khan’s Review on Bholi Bano (2017)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani TV Drama Series, Bholi Bano aka Innocent Bano (2017). Its Production is Mastermind Production while Distribution is done by Geo Entertainment.

 

 

+ Crew

  • Directed by Furqan Adam
  • Written by Samra Bukhari
  • Director of Photography by Sunny Shah
  • Makeup by Saima
  • Produced by Hassan Zia

 

 

+ Note

Bholi Bano aired on Geo Entertainment from 27th Feb 2017 to 11th Sep 2017. In total it consists of 48 episodes. It was shot in various areas of Sindh, including Mirpur Khas, Hyderabad, some internal villages and Karachi.

The song OST is sung by K.S Chithra, music composed by Awais Masood and lyrics by Sabir Zafar. The Makeup is done by Saima & Ali Raza.

Bholi Bano ran twice a week. It was one of the top rated and most watched serials of 2017.

 

 

+ Main Cast

  1. Hiba Bukhari as Bano
  2. Syed Jibran as Tajdaar
  3. Syed Arez as Soban
  4. Namrah Shahid as Zeenia
  5. Humaira Bano as Zeenia’s Mom
  6. Sajida Syed as Kulsoom / Tajdaar’s Mom

 

xxxxxxx

 

 

+ Supportive Cast

  1. Samina Ahmed as Nani
  2. Imran Bukhari as Abid
  3. Hajra Yamin as Shela
  4. Erum Bashir as Hura
  5. Jawed Jamal as Soban’s Father
  6. Waseem Abbas as Asghar

 

 

xxxxxxx

 

 

+ Minor Cast

  1. Kanwar Arsalan as Kaif / Shela’s Friend
  2. Shabana Hasan as Suka
  3. Zuhab Khan as Tipu
  4. Sara Umair as Abid’s Friend
  5. N/A as Pak Bhari
  6. Waqar Nadeem as Allah-uddin

 

 

 

+ Plot

A beautiful innocent girl, Bano who is an orphan lives with her Nani & Mamo. During this time, Tajdaar (a wealthy interior Sindh landlord) falls in love with her secretly. After her marriage, her in-laws turn her life into a living hell. Meanwhile Tajdaar is desperate but helpless to watch Bano being suffered like this and refuses his help or interference.

 

 

 

+ High Points

i – Hiba Bukhari as Bholi Bano gave a very strong performance as cute, caring loving wife and daughter-in-law. This is the first performance I have watched of Hiba and undoubtedly thrilled with her role’s execution. This character would certainly be marked as iconic and memorable for her acting career.

ii – Humaira Bano as Zeenia’s Mom has played out a very shrewd and ill hearted character on screen. It is difficult for any performer to be loved by the viewers’ when you are playing a negative character even if you have given an amazing performance. Other Honorable Mentions: Syed Arez, Namrah Shahid, Samina Ahmed, Syed Jibran and Erum Bashir.

iii – Characters such as Bano, Soban and Tajdaar were well written and exciting to watch.

iv – It is a delight to see several good theatre stars such as Shabana Hassan, Erum Bashir, Hajra Yamin and Waqar Nadeem.

v – Nice job done with makeup & hair styling.

vi – I liked how Abid was treated by his father-in-law in early time of his marriage knowingly why he tied the knot out of greed and luxury lifestyle.

vii – As a whole, everyone performances have been superb.

viii – I believe that the 18th episode was the most interesting to watch. It was the turning point for the drama series.

 

 

+ Low Points

i – Forty-eight episodes are way too much for any drama series. If you have a good, interesting story to tell then yes! You are most welcome to produce more episodes otherwise the last 18 episodes were absolute useless and unnecessary.

ii – Tajdaar mostly popping up in private situations out of nowhere such as in other’s kitchen, lounge and even their bedroom!

iii – Those scenes where Kaif and Asghar try to manipulate Shela to create differences, hatred for including where Kaif shared moments together with her are so mind-numbing that I literally wanted to avoid / fast forward them.

iv – Sudden big change of character of Zeenia’s mother and the decision of living abroad doesn’t make any head or tails.

v – I didn’t like how Hura’s character was written. The actress who played the character is such a wonderful performer but what can she do if the character is weakly handled?

vi – This got to be the worst finale I have ever watched in Pakistani TV dramas till now. You would certainly be left highly disappointed and unsatisfied.

 

 

+ Overall
Bholi Bano is entertaining at times with terrific performances, but it never reaches the surreal heights of adequate storytelling and its long-waiting deserving end.

 

 

Rate: 2.75 out of 5 stars

Short Films & Documentaries

Mr. Khan’s Review on Kachrachi (2018)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani Satirical Short Film, Kachrachi (2018). its Production House and Distribution is done by 12AM Productions and Alley Films.

 

 

+ Crew

  1. Written, Directed & Produced by Ali Mehdi
  2. Co-Written by Babar Jamal, Ali Abbas Naqvi and Zaid Azad
  3. Cinematography by Osman Rafique
  4. Edited by Mohmmad Yousuf Ramzan
  5. Production Design by Aqib Jaffri

 

 

 

+ Musicians

  • Ustad Shan Ali (Dholak)
  • Taimoor Tajik (Guitars)

 

 

 

+ Note

The title Kachrachi is a combination of the Urdu word for trash (Kachra) and the city Karachi. It sarcastically touches the social issues that turned a once vibrant and dynamic metropolitan into disregard towards humanity, cleanliness, education and other basic necessities that contribute to a quality of life. The film’s music is composed by Shamoon Khatri.

Ali Mehdi has attained his formal education in film from Thames Valley University London, England. He has worked on countless film ventures including digital & corporate films in Pakistan and the Middle East. Whereas, Osman Rafique is a very talented cinematographer and has worked on many corporate projects. He has studied from Global Cinematography Institute, IVA and SAAMPT.

As for the writers, Babar Jamal is well-known NAPA’s theatre and TV writer. He has written a number of hit comedy plays such as Mere Samne Wali Khirki Mein (2017), Jungle Mein Mangal Bazar (2019), Aasman Se Ghira (2018) and many more. Ali Abbas Naqvi and Zaid Azad are KU graduates and have worked in many well-known short films. Ali has also acted in many short films including in Teeli videos by Dawn Media Group. In recent times, Ali Abbas Naqvi wrote the street-thriller, feature length film, Laal Kabootar (2019). This film has gained much attention and many positive reviews by critics & audience alike.

Kachrachi had its world premiere at IFFSA-Toronto. It has been screened in Washington DC and Pune, India. It also had a big screening at the prestigious Icon Theatres in Chicago on the 22nd of September at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival 2018.

 

 

 

+ Awards

  1. Best Acting – Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival 2018 (MSIFF)
  2. Award of Commendation – Canada Shorts 2018
  3. Award of Merit – Global Shorts LA 2019
  4. Honorable Jury Mention Award – Bangalore Short Film Festival 2019

 

 

 

+ Full Cast

  • Nazar-ul-Hasan as (Nameless) Bum

 

 

 

+ Plot

A mad man living under the city bridge, reflects Karachi’s image to its people in general, for their negligence towards civilized living and how the city itself is being treated as.

 

 

 

+ High Points

i – The concept behind the protagonist goes beyond to what is been touched by the writers. What if he was not always a homeless man but someone part of the society? Until one day, he was betrayed or thrown out by their loved ones as ‘Trash’? Perhaps this is how he actually drove towards madness… once he recognizes the city’s reality in its products, services, behavior, lifestyle and ultimately the people’s true nature.

ii – Nazar-ul-Hasan’s performance is electrifying which blends in with the film’s realism theme to give a sensational result. This is why, he is still considered one of the top theatre artists of our times.

iii – The ending leads you to definition of the story arc.

iv – The practical design behind its costume, gave an uplift to the actor’s performance.

v – The makeup & hair styling made the actor’s physical transformation as the script demanded it to be.

vi – The shooting location and props used for its production design gave a very believable surrounding.

vii – The music brings the charm for watching this film in the first place.

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – The name behind its cinematographer gave me much expectations… only after watching it, I was left with disappointment.

 

 

 

+ Overall

Unusually strange, Kachrachi is a spellbinding film with thought provoking narrative.

 

 

Rate: 3.50 out of 5 stars

 

Feature Length Films

Mr. Khan’s Review on Project Ghazi (2019)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani Sci-fi Thriller feature length film, Project Ghazi (2019). The Production House is GYR Films while its Distributor is Distribution Club.

 

 

+ Crew

  • Directed by Nadir Shah
  • Written & Produced by Syed Mohammed Ali Raza
  • Director of Photography by Farhan Hafeez
  • Edited by Hassnain Jaffery and Abdur Rahman
  • Visual Effects & Color Grading by Lucid Studios and Sharp Image

 

 

+Note

Project Ghazi is considered first Pakistani superhero movie that revolves around a thread to the project soldiers. It’s a story about ASP (Advanced Soldier Project) and it spans over a period of 20 years. The word Ghazi refers to Hero & Conqueror. The production designer is Javaria Salar while its music is composed by Armaghan Shahid. Some of the character names given, belong to the crew members’ real first/last names.

This film was initially scheduled for release on 14th July 2017. But at the premiere night at Karachi, a day before its general release, it got very negative feedback from critics & audience. It had problem with its audio and other technical stuff, so the makers decided not to release the movie in the theaters before fixing these problems first.

Humayun Saeed, one of the lead stars had said in 2017 premiere, “I couldn’t let this be the final product of Project Ghazi. The audience couldn’t be shown this. How can people judge a movie that they couldn’t even hear properly? I just couldn’t bear it, I left within 20 minutes, thinking if I can’t understand it how will anyone else.”

Project Ghazi was finally released on 29th March 2019, only to be taken off after a couple of days later.

 

 

+ Main Cast

  1. Humayun Saeed as Col. Salaar Salahuddin
  2. Sheheryar Munawar as Major Zain Zulfiqar
  3. Syra Shehroz as Zara Iftikhar
  4. Adnan Jaffar as Qataan
  5. Talat Hussain as Dr. Ziyaad
  6. Amir Qureshi as Major Dilawar

 

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

+ Supporting Cast

  1. Nasir Inayat Khan as Brigadier Taimur
  2. Nusrat Hidayutullah as Qataan’s Minion
  3. Raza Hyder as Col. Armaghan
  4. Vaajdan Shah as Lead Interrogator
  5. Hanif Bachan as Hostage

 

 

+ Plot

A group of scientists and soldiers are trying to develop a new breed of advanced weaponized soldiers known as Project Ghazi. However, a group of rogue men try to seize it for their personal schemes. Col. Salaar teams up with Maj. Zain, to combat them in order to avoid a bigger disaster ahead.

 

 

+ High Points

i – I am so pleased to know that the time length is approximately 100 minutes only.

ii – Maj. Dilawar is the only interesting character to watch. But he is given very limited screen time.

 

 

+ Low Points

i – Any experienced actor, director would know the level of this film during its post-production stages, long before its release. Instead of ‘Correcting / Fixing’ the flaws in the span of two years, they could actually make a proper new film in order to save their faces and have some real earnings. The reason is that what they have released now (after two years), the film is so bad that they took it off in just of couple of days.

ii – Once again, the core element is flawed. Bad writing of this film consists of no proper story structure, hardly any character development, no sub plots, the list goes on.

iii – Everything is pretty much straight forward, without putting up with real challenges or conflicts for the protagonist to face.

iv – At first, the concept may look good on paper. But then you would realize that its very similar to Captain America (2011). And the fact that the people behind the film, Captain America knew exactly what they were doing. How they be able to execute it properly and be able to connect with their audience. On the other hand, Project Ghazi is just the opposite.

v – The writer fails to establish the emotional link with his characters to the audience. The result is that we don’t have any issue whether the on-screen character lives or dies.

vi – I am not sure that if it’s the fault of the editor or the actual film is shot without proper continuation of scenes and jump cuts.

vii – There are so much usage of visual effects that its hard to tell which were actual set design.

viii – The action scenes tried to make similar to Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). One would notice it right away. In this film, the fight choreography is just rubbish.

ix – Sometimes, having 1 – 2 songs help the film to gain some interest especially for those who may have slept by now. But in this film, there are none.

 

 

+ Overall

Project Ghazi is a feature length film of deleted scenes.

 

 

Rate: 0 out of 5 stars

 

TV series

Mr. Khan’s Review on Biwi Se Biwi Tak (2018 – 19)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani TV Sit-Com, Biwi Se Biwi Tak (2018 – 19). It’s Production House and Distributor is Aaj Entertainment.

 

 

+ Crew

  • Directed & Produced by Sabir Ghani
  • Written by Babar Jamal and Yasir Mustafa
  • Director of Photography by Hajat Ali
  • Music by Jazaib Patafi
  • Co-Producer by Zafar Zaidi and Hunain Maniar

 

 

+ Note

Biwi Se Biwi Tak has aired on Aaj Entertainment from 23rd Jan 2018 – till date. In total its 55 episodes are currently been played. Roomi’s life is mysterious and full of challenges. And the best part is that how he cope-up with all these situations. This sitcom is closely related to a very popular Indian sitcom, Kabhi Idhar, Kabhi Udhar (1996 – 1997) starring Shehkar Suman. The main concept was the same likewise this Pakistani sitcom.

Other crew members are… the production designer is Noman Mujeeb Khan, for Post & VFX are Mudasir Shah, Waseem Qasim & M. Suffiyan and Edited by Mohammad Hasnain.

There have been guest appearances by a number of celebrities such as Mathira, Nasir Jan, Sana Askari, Rida Isfahani and many more.

 

  

+ Main Cast

  1. Aadi Adeal as Roomi
  2. Sundas Tariq as Zoya
  3. N/A as Channo
  4. Hunain Maniar as Roomi’s Friend
  5. Adil Wadia as Roomi’s Father

 

 

 + Plot

Roomi, a guy with polygamy marriage, stuck between two different mind sets wives, Zoya & Channo who are unaware of being married to same person.

 

 

+ High Points

i – I think I laughed at one joke in episode 3.

 

 

+ Low Points

i – If you have really bad script, weak story, plot structure before the project has started its production then it is wrong to blame the director for it. The writing whether it be of characterization of its main & supporting roles or their back story is done poorly. This is something you might write in your first draft.

ii – The jokes are so lame that you might want to cry for help.

iii – Low level of DOP been done here. Some of its camera shots should have been taken of medium close-up shots especially during the conversation scenes but what were gifted with as if the camera guy was taking a ride at a See-Saw.

iv – The production design of Roomi’s office and house shows that Biwi Se Biwi Tak were really low on budget.

v – As far as the makeup & hair styling is concerned, in the first 10 episodes, we get to watch an unrealistic wig that the lead actor, Aadi Adeal wears as if they are ‘Real Hair’. Anyone who takes a good look at his weird wig, one would like to burn it to ashes.

vi – The least favorite celebrities / people that you know on viral videos, have made guest appearances in their episodes.

vii – Nowhere did Roomi look like a married person.

 

 

+ Overall
Biwi Se Biwi Tak is filled with dull humor, outdated concept and for many, it is unwatchable.

 

Rate: 0 out of 5 stars

 

Feature Length Films

Mr. Khan’s Review on Wrong No. 2 (2019)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani Rom-Com feature length film, Wrong No. 2 (2019). The Production Houses are YNH Films and Mastermind Films while its Distributors are Distribution Club and Geo Films.

 

 

+ Crew

  1. Written & Directed by Yasir Nawaz
  2. Co-Written by Danish Nawaz and Hassan Ahmed
  3. Cinematography by Naeem Mustafa
  4. Edited by Salman Tehzeeb
  5. Produced by Sh. Amjad Rasheed and Hassan Zia

 

 

 

+Note

Wrong No. 2 is sequel to the 2015 film, Wrong No. also directed by Yasir Nawaz. However, this sequel is based on entirely different story and characters. The music is composed by Simaab Sen. The director, Yasir Nawaz and both the co-writers have starred in this film.

The two films including Wrong No. 2 released on Eid-ul-Fitr of 2019 have same names for their female lead character, Zoya.

 

 

 

+ Main Cast

  1. Yasir Nawaz as Mehboob
  2. Sana Fakhar as Masooma
  3. Neelam Muneer as Zoya
  4. Sami Khan as Omar
  5. Jawed Sheikh as Gul Nawaz
  6. Mehmood Aslam as Wazir Ali
  7. Hassan Ahmed as Happy

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

+ Supporting Cast

  1. Danish Nawaz as Shaukat
  2. N/A as Happy’s Mother
  3. Shafqat Cheema as Happy’s Father
  4. Ashraf Khan as Shaukat’s Father
  5. Fareeha Jabeen as Shaukat’s Mother
  6. Irfan Khoosat as Neighbor

 

 

 

+ Plot

Zoya, a rich heiress who falls in love with a man who is not as financially stable as herself. Her father mistakes her lover for someone else and they face a comedy of errors.

 

 

 

+ High Points

 i – Jawed Sheikh’s performance as Gul Nawaz made the audience filled with laughter in major of his scenes. Although he portrays as father in almost every Pakistani film that is released but to have a veteran actor such as Jawed Sheikh on-board is always a warm welcome. Other Honorable Mentions: Mehmood Aslam.

ii – The first performance I have watched of Hassan Ahmed was in a TV serial, Farwa Ki ABC (2015). Though, this TV drama was terrible to watch but Hassan’s performance came into notice. Here, in this film, he plays his character as Happy, a spoiled, adult pampered son who is a drug addict and wants to marry Zoya only for the sake of money. I believe that he is a good actor and should be given better, respectable roles for a change. That way, we all be witness to his potential towards acting skills, to know how well he can perform.

iii – The production design and the selection of shooting locations for couple of the songs are praise worthy.

iv – The dance choreography in one song is good that happens before a wedding ceremony.

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – If you are a hardcore fan of such films as Baby’s Day Out (1994) or Power Rangers (1995), then Wrong No. 2 is just for you. The level of comedy used here stand in the ranks of childish-kindergarten humor. Vast number of the people were laughing at the cinema hall were children. Okay, you got me. Some humor is good enough to enjoy but the ratio for good comedy is minor in front of film’s majority of its scenes.

ii – The concept of having an aged character, Mehboob belonging to middle class family and dealing with financial issues while keeping himself off bay from corruption, is something the writer/director fails to utilize it properly.

iii – Instead of having Mehboob or Omar or Zoya’s character to be film’s journey… most of the scenes belong to the supporting characters, Gul Nawaz and Wazir Ali. Let’s face it, Jawed Sheikh and Mehmood Aslam are the best actors from the cast long before watching the film. All other lead stars performances are…

iv – We are shown Masooma (Sana Fakhar) to be an independent, respected faithful loving wife. Then we get to know that one of her children is diagnosed with terminal cancer. And to treat this fatal disease would cost the parents a hefty amount that they don’t have… When you (writer) have established such a strong emotional link with the audience, then why use the same character for sexual/seductive purpose in the shape of comedy?

She then starts working at Gul Nawaz’s home as a maid, where Gul Nawaz (Jawed Sheikh) becomes sexually attracted towards her, unknowingly of her reasons to work. The embarrassing close-up body shots are taken to create sexual humor.

v – If you had Sami Khan put up on a hanger and kept him inside a cupboard, no one in the audience would have notice his absence from the film. Not only his character carried any weight, his level of acting skills is the proof to show that our film industry still has issues of working on the grounds of personal favors, references, commercial names instead of hiring professional, new talented actors who would do a lot better if they are given a chance.

vi – There were many random jokes been made throughout the film without proper planning to where to put it exactly.

vii – The typical story, yet again where the rich girl falls in love with a guy not belonging to her social class. And her father wants to wed her off to the person of his choice. Really? Are we running out of ideas here or what?

viii – The film eventually becomes a drag, with a lot of yawns along the way.

 

 

+ Overall

After watching Wrong No. 2, I have finally realized that its predecessor wasn’t all that bad.

 

 

Rate: 1.0 out of 5 stars

 

Feature Length Films

Mr. Khan’s Review on Chhalawa (2019)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani Rom-Com feature length film, Chhalawa (2019). The Production House is Showcase Films while its Distributors are Hum Films and Eveready Pictures.

 

 

+ Crew

  • Written, Directed & Produced by Wajahat Rauf
  • Cinematography by Asrad Khan
  • Edited by Hasan Ali Khan
  • Music by Shiraz Upal

 

 

 

+Note

Chhalawa is about family relationships and love. Previously, the lead stars, Mehwish Hayat and Azfar Rehman appeared in a super-hit feature length film, Punjab Nahi Jaungi (2017) where Azfar played a supporting role.

Wajahat Rauf has directed such films as Karachi Se Lahore (2015), and its sequel, Lahore Se Agay (2016). In all of his films, the director’s son, Aashir Wajahat is starred as one of the supporting stars except for the film, Lahore Se Agay where he had a cameo appearance.

Another co-star, Zara Noor Abbas happens to be the daughter of actress, Asma Abbas and niece of Bushra Ansari. Zara’s real life husband is Asad Siddiqui, who is also the supporting actor of this film. Asad is the nephew of the actor, Adnan Siddiqui.

This review contains some SPOILERS!

 

 

+ Full Cast

  1. Mehwish Hayat as Zoya
  2. Azfar Rehman as Sameer
  3. Zara Noor Abbas as Haya
  4. Asad Siddiqui as Luqman
  5. Mehmood Aslam as Chaudhry Rafaqat
  6. Aashir Wajahat as Haroon
  7. Adnan Shah Tipu as Chaudhry Nazakut
  8. Mohsin Ejaz as Jalal Chaudhry
  9. Wajahat Rauf as Train Inspector (Cameo)

 

 

 

+ Plot

Zoya is in love with city boy, Sameer and doesn’t want to marry according to her father’s wishes.

 

 

 

+ High Points

i – The real charm of this film is its songs. I am not saying that they are good but… you can say that they were nice.

ii – Zara Noor Abbas’s performance is where most of the audience be interested to turn their attention to. Her acting seemed natural and was able to play her role comfortably. Other Honorable Mentions: Mehmood Aslam, Asad Siddiqui and Aashir Wajahat.

iii – The lighting and its cinematography made the film visually interesting to watch.

iv – The production design helps the film to establish its friendly, believable settings.

v – The makeup & hair styling team did a good job in making the stars glamorous on big-screen.

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – This is very bad writing and the major flaw of the film. There is no proper character building, characters’ backstory and kept within a logical environment. It appears that the writers rushed Chhalawa to be released on Eid-ul-Fitr before they could sort it out all its flaws first.

ii – There are many scenes, where the film does not make any head or tails. You would find yourself scratching your head as to why you are watching this film in the first place? Kindly note that this is not a buffoonish but a light comedy film. Therefore, logical reasoning should be given with your (writers’) every / most of the moves. But it was not.

Example#1: After getting shot and being severely injured, suddenly comedy is inserted, where the marriage is forced to take place in a choking, traffic jam.

Example#2: Luqman, a smart, educated guy belonging to upper-middle class (as per his lifestyle) is living a dual life. One is of normal self and other as Peer (Spiritual Guide) who make false promises to gain trust and cash for selfish needs. The issue here is that Luqman’s disguise as Peer, clearly shows that his voice, beard, clothing… everything LOOKS AND IS fake! But in the film, Chaudry sahib as well as the people whom Luqman has drawn towards himself for a long time (as Peer) have no clue of this.

Example#3: After running away in the middle of the night and reaching at a random place where they have no idea, where they are… Zoya decides to change her clothes and do a vulgar item song in front of sex craving unknown local men in her surroundings. Her lover, Sameer has no issue with this and totally supports her, even though knowingly that they are still within the limits of the same rural area where her father resides and most probably looking for them with his henchmen.

iii – Bad decisions taken in its direction. I can’t say that I am a fan of Wajahat Rauf’s films. But Chhalawa looked much better in its trailer. When you don’t have a good script in your hands, then everything just falls apart. After watching Chhalawa in the first 20 minutes, I lost interest completely. I think, I must have glance at my watch for at least 4 – 5 times.

iv – The lead stars’ performances failed to make an impression on the audience. Instead, we as audience were more interested in watching supporting cast’s performances.

v – Having yet another typical story to tell… with a weak script, your focus point would turn towards the film’s secondary features. Such as, the film’s makeup & hair styling, production design, subplots, etc.

vi – The love triangle of Chhalawa is worse than watching cricket matches these days.

vii – It seems as though the character of Sameer was intentionally kept weak, not able to take heroic / manly decisions to show his level of maturity. If it was so, then it was not properly portrayed by the lead star or his character was likewise written poorly.

viii – Most of the jokes, its humor was dull and boring whereas some of them were good enough to give a weak smile.

ix – Wow! We have an item number featuring Mehwish Hayat. Almost every Pakistani film nowadays features at least one item song whose true sole purpose is to degrade females in the name of ‘Entertainment’.

 

 

 

+ Overall

Chhalawa is a ridiculous and unwanted rom-com with serious writing issues.

 

 

 

Rate: 1.25 out of 5 stars

 

Feature Length Films

Mr. Khan’s Review on ‘Azad’ (2018)

Mr. Khan's Reviews

A review on Pakistani Drama feature length film, ‘Azad’ aka ‘Independent’ (2018). The Production Houses are Bling Studios and Roomi Films while it’s Distributor is Hum Films.

 

 

+ Crew

  • Written, Directed & Produced by Rehan Sheikh
  • Cinematography by Ilyas Kashmiri
  • Edited by Yasir Nawaz
  • Music by Abbas Ali Khan and Taimoor Mirza
  • Production Designed & Co-Produced by Hassan Naeem

 

 

+ Note

Azad is an offbeat comedy drama set-in modern-day Pakistan about a free-spirited RJ who hosts a morning show until a chance encounter leads him to confront his own ideas of freedom.

This film might face the same fate in the domestic box office as did Pakistani feature length films such as Shah (2015) and Josh (2013).

 

 

+ Main Cast

  1. Rehan Sheikh as Azad / Danish aka Dani
  2. Sanam Saeed as Sadia
  3. Salman Shahid as Pervaiz Sher Khan / PK Sher
  4. Ajlal Shah as Bilal / Billo
  5. Sabreen Hisbani as Jia

 

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

+ Supporting Cast

  1. Nimra Bucha as N/A
  2. Jawad Rana as N/A
  3. Sajjad Kishwar as N/A
  4. Zahid Ahmed as OJ (Cameo)
  5. Angeline Malik as N/A (Cameo)
  6. Imran Abbas as N/A (Cameo)
  7. Schumaila Hussain as N/A (Cameo)

 

 

 

+ Plot

Azad runs a morning radio show of PK Sher with liberal and thought-provoking ideas. One day he is challenged by his past encounter against his freedom beliefs.

 

 

+ High Points

i – A very well written screenplay and story. Light humor that easily balances in the script.

ii – Rehan Sheikh’s performance as Azad played out often amusing, yet expressive in grim scenes.

iii – Sanam Saeed as Sadia performed wonderfully as Azad’s colleague and nemesis. Other Honorable Mentions: Rest of the cast.

iv – Sensational work on its Production design, scenes pleasantly blend in.

v – The cinematography is more effective with worthy lighting throughout the film.

vi – Some soft hearted but appropriate songs while others are foreign classics.

vii – It has a satisfying, emotional ending.

viii – Good use of the cameos.

 

 

+ Low Points

i – A bit lengthy film should be shorter by 10 – 15 minutes.

ii – The film is slow and not everyone’s kind of film to watch. For mirch, masala type of film watchers, avoid this one.

 

 

 

 

+ Overall

For Azad, the multi-talented star Rehan Sheikh has nicely executed directorial debut of his career. The film is very close to reality… and definitely a winner!

 

 

Rate: 4.0 out of 5 stars