A review on Pakistani Drama feature length film, Moor (2015) aka Mother. The Production Houses are Azad Film Company & Mandviwalla Entertainment while its Distributor is Geo Films.
+ Crew
- Written, Directed & Produced by Jami Mahmood
- Cinematography Farhan Hafeez
- Edited by Rizwan AQ
- Music by Strings
- Co-Produced by Nazira Ali and Nadeem Mandviwalla
+ Note
Moor, is a Pashto word meaning “Mother”. Moor was previously named as Morqaye. Film’s story depicts the railway system of Balochistan, especially the closure of Zhob valley railways in 1984. Partially the shooting took place in an area of Pakistan’s Balochistan province that was under the control of the Taliban militia. Despite their reputation for hard line fundamentalism, the local Taliban even allowed the crew to shoot in their own headquarters.
The soundtrack of this film is composed by the Pakistani band, Strings. Kothbiro by Ayub Ogada is featured in the trailer. The film bought the copyrights.
Moor took eight years from conception to release. Work on the script began in 2007, and the first teaser trailer appeared in 2013, two years before the film’s premiere.
It was selected to premiere at 20th Busan International Film Festival. The film was selected as the Pakistani entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.
+ Main Cast
- Hameed Sheikh as Wahid
- Shaz Khan as Ehsaanullah Khan
- Samiya Mumtaz as Palwasha
- Abdul Qadir as Baggoo Baba
- Shabbir Rana as Zahir
- Sultan Hussain as Lalu
- Ayaz Samoo as Imtisal
xxxxxxx
+ Supportive Cast
- Nayyar Ejaz as Talat
- Soniya Hussain as Amber
- Eshita Mehboob Syed as Arzo
- Joshinder Chaggar as Sarah
- Omar as Asghar
- Zainullah as Dilawar
+ Plot
After the death of the family’s matriarch, her husband and son must confront not only the corruption in society around them but the corruption within themselves.
+ High Points
i – Sir Hameed Sheikh’s performance in a husband / father role is played out very well. His confusion and desperation of the funds for his family is shown brilliantly. His long lost love for his motherland is well put.
ii – Although Samiya Mumtaz has a small role in the film but one of the best in executing it. She is a wonderful actress and usually plays rural area righteous mother roles. Other Honorable Mentions: Shaz Khan, Abdul Qadir and Ayaz Samoo.
iii – A valuable story is shared through the medium of film making. A strong message is left for the audience.
iv – Farhan Hafeez did an amazing work in cinematography. This is a trademark of Jami’s films.
v – The locations of Balochistan are carefully chosen for great visual story telling.
+ Low Points
i – The film is at quite a slow pace. People may have hard time watching it.
ii – There is not much to watch or enjoy the film. Most of the critics get it confused to say that perhaps ‘I the film carries a strong message, it means it is a good film to watch’ which is not necessary! These two are completely different from each other.
+ Overall
In sum, Moor is a beautiful shot film — and one that gives viewers the momentum to choose their destiny in front of their honor and beliefs.
Rate: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Mr. Khan's Reviews 