A review on Pakistani Satirical Short Film, Kachrachi (2018). its Production House and Distribution is done by 12AM Productions and Alley Films.
+ Crew
- Written, Directed & Produced by Ali Mehdi
- Co-Written by Babar Jamal, Ali Abbas Naqvi and Zaid Azad
- Cinematography by Osman Rafique
- Edited by Mohmmad Yousuf Ramzan
- 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
- Best Acting – Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival 2018 (MSIFF)
- Award of Commendation – Canada Shorts 2018
- Award of Merit – Global Shorts LA 2019
- 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
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