Theatre Plays

Mr. Khan’s Review on Raat (2016)

A review on Pakistani suspense theatre play, Raat (2016). It was performed in Punjabi language.

 

+ Crew

  • Directed by Shumaila Taj
  • Sound Designed by Alooha

 

 

+ Note

Shumaila Taj is a graduate student of NAPA while done Master’s degree in English literature from Bahauddin Zakariya University (Multan). She has acted in various plays like Nakal Makani and Dheeti Deevaaren.

 

 

+ Full Cast

1) Akbar Islam as Chacha Karam Deen

2) Farhan Alam as Chaudhry Sher Ali

3) Aqeel Ahmed as Jhalla

4) Amir Naqvi as Bhoot

5) Naveed Kamal as Bala

6) Muhammad Ahsan Ali as Ramju

7) Arthur John as Ashqoo

8) Samhan Ghazi as Patwari Mansha

9) Rahi Siddiqui as Muharar Ghulam Hussain

10) Adnan Anis as Police Wala

 

 

+ Plot

One night a 13 year old girl, Sakina who runs away from her home as her family has accepted marriage proposal from the aged landlord of the village. Everyone try to search for her along the river in the dark that same night.

 

 

+ High Points

i – Great performance by Amir Naqvi as Bhoot. He looked frightening and yet comic in his own way. This is the first time I saw a character of Bhoot on stage who is scared of humans. Personally I liked his performance and appearance as Bhoot a lot. Good work Aamir!

ii – Aqeel Ahmed as Jhalla played the lead role nicely. His character was written as simple and lovable. Other Honorable Mentions: Akbar Islam and Naveed Kamal.

iii – The effective screenplay helped the play to flourish with ease of success.

iv – The set design and lighting were handled brightly.

v – The ending was very moving.

 

+ Low Points

i – I would love to see this play in Urdu language with the same team.

ii – I feel that the play was too short regarding the content is concerned. Since the play was interesting and performances were well put so its time span was rather small.

iii – Due to its short time length, we were unable to meet further new characters or few more interesting scenes, especially of the Bhoot.

 

 

+ Overall

Raat is a tense and entertaining theatrical experience that should keep audience guessing until the very end.

 

 

Rate: 3.75 out of 5 stars

 

Feature Length Films

Mr. Khan’s Review on Pinky Memsab (2018)

A review on Pakistani drama feature length film, Pinky Memsab (2018) aka Pinky Madam. The Production House & Distributor is Eveready Pictures.

 

 

+ Crew

  • Written, Directed & Produced by Shazia Ali Khan
  • Co-Written by Babar Ali
  • Cinematography by Humza Yousaf
  • Edited by Suraj Gunjal
  • Music by Abbas Ali Khan

 

 

 

+ Note

Pinky Memsab is a film dedicated to those who are/have lived in Dubai to know the true meaning of this story. The life of an unhappy Dubai socialite gets entwined with her impressionable young maid to a point where they are both thrown into crisis. Now, they must break free from their pre-conceived notions and unspoken class barriers to discover who they truly are.

Hajra Yamin and Khalid Ahmed are well-known theatre artists. Khalid Sb has written, acted and directed many of hit theatre plays at NAPA. Taaliah Mazhar Khan is the film’s costume designer.

 

 

 

+ Main Cast

  1. Hajra Yamin as Pinky
  2. Kiran Malik as Mehr
  3. Adnan Jaffar as Hasan

 

 

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+ Supporting Cast

  1. Sunny Hinduja as Santosh
  2. Khalid Ahmed as Qutb
  3. Shamim Hilaly as Jahan Ara
  4. Mariel Bianca Salazar as Grace
  5. Eesha Ishaq as Esha (Cameo)

 

 

 

+ Plot

After divorce, Pinky is accepted as a foreign house maid at Dubai in an elite social class family. Everything seems like a dream-state life until one day her reality is hit by life’s hardships.

 

 

 

+ High Points

i – A very well directed film by Shazia Khan. It’s her directorial debut feature length film. It’s a shame that she didn’t directed any other after this film.

ii – Sunny Hinduja who performed as Santosh, a driver with Indian roots gave a fantastic performance. It made me wonder why I have not seen any of his past performances for. In this film, he has most certainly done a great job.

iii – Kiran Malik is also new to me. But that’s because this is her first film as well. Her performance is quite realistic and very intelligently played out. Other Honorable Mentions: Hajra Yamin.

iv – The cinematography is beautifully shot; its lighting control and color correction really lighten ups your mood.

v – The core message of the film is nice as it is regarding life’s hardships especially what you dream to achieve but what you get in real life. This film is dedicated to those people who are working abroad for financial reasons or better lifestyle. And to survive there, they sometimes need to shelf their dreams and need to do what is best for that moment.

vi – From production design to costume designing and makeup & hair styling, all three departments’ work are splendidly done.  Loved the wardrobe of Mehr and Hasan.

vii – The cameos by Khalid Ahmed and Shamim Hilaly, who played the roles of Mehr’s parents were not only surprising but their scenes were the most interesting. Other interesting ones were of Santosh and Pinky scene sharing.

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – Without a good story, there’s hardly anything to watch here. Your focus would automatically turn towards other things, such as performances, cinematography, songs etc.

ii – Even its ending is disappointing. Too bad, as the trailer had raised many people expectations.

 

 

 

 

+ Overall

Pinky Memsab could not fulfill its promise for something new or exciting.

 

 

Rate: 2.0 out of 5 stars

 

Feature Length Films

Mr. Khan’s Review on Parey Hut Love (2019)

A review on Pakistani Rom-Com feature length film, Parey Hut Love (2019) aka Stay Away from Me, Love. The Production House is The Vision Factory Films while its Distributors are ARY Films, Salman Iqbal Films and B4U Motion Pictures.

 

 

+ Crew

  • Written & Directed by Asim Raza
  • Co-Written by Imran Aslam & Nasir Aslam
  • Cinematography by Salman Razzak & Serkan Guller
  • Edited by Alam Azeemi
  • Music by Azaan Sami Khan

 

 

 

+Note

Parey Hut Love is based on British film, Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994). The director’s previous work is Ho Mann Jahaan (2015) starring Sheheryar Munawar, Ahmed Ali Akbar and Mahira Khan.

It is claimed by BTS team that Mahira Khan was originally offered to do role of Saniya. Mahira however makes a cameo appearance in this film. Shehryar Munawar’s real life father, Munawar Alam Siddiqui plays a father role to Shehryar in this film. Its production designer is Saqib Hayat.

 

 

 

 

+ Main Cast

  1. Sheheryar Munawar as Sheheryar
  2. Maya Ali as Saniya
  3. Ahmed Ali Butt as Arshad
  4. Zara Noor Abbas as Shabbo
  5. Nadeem Baig as Faisal
  6. Hina Dilpazeer as Farida
  7. Munawar Alam Siddiqui as Aziz

 

 

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+ Supporting Cast

  1. Frieha Altaf as Feroza
  2. Yousuf Bashir Qureshi as Mehmood
  3. Rachel Viccaji as Tanaaz
  4. Faheem Azam as Rustom
  5. Mahira Khan as Zeena
  6. Shahbaz Shigri as Hasan
  7. Parisheh James as Natasha

 

 

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+ Minor Cast

  1. Jimmy Khan as Anwar
  2. Fawad Khan as Producer
  3. Marina Khan as Director
  4. Sonya Jehan as Actress
  5. Imran Aslam as Friend
  6. Cybil Chowdhry as Sheheryar’s Friend #1
  7. Meera as Karishma Chaudhry
  8. Saife Hassan as Relative
  9. Durdana Butt as Friend’s Relative
  10. Ahmed Ali Akbar as Sheheryar’s Friend #2

 

 

 

 

+ Plot

An unlikely romance between a young free-willed, commitment-phobic aspiring actor, Sheheryar, and a beautiful strong-willed expat, Saniya, who meet and fall in love over a series of unplanned encounters at destination weddings.

 

 

 

+ High Points

i – ‘A’ graded work behind its cinematography, it made the film visually very stunning. The lighting, color correction, everything related to it is at its best quality.

ii – The production design is very detailed and stands in the rank of award worthy.

iii – Amazing efforts in its costume designing, reflected their social class of elite family background.

iv – Makeup & hair styling did a fantastic job. Every cast member looked elegant on-screen.

v – Zara Noor Abbas is a wonderful and beautiful actress. Her performance looks very natural and believable. I hope that I be able to see her in lead roles in her upcoming projects onwards. Other Honorable Mentions: Mahira Khan and Munawar Alam Siddiqui.

vi – The songs are beautifully shot and nicely choreographed in its dance sequences.

vii – As per everyone expectations, Ahmed Ali Butt, who is yet again a comic relief character made the audience laugh where ever he could.

viii – Two best cameos I liked were of Fawad Khan and Meera. I wish they had bigger roles in the film due to the interesting characters that they were playing.

 

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – Just like in the famous Bollywood’s classic film, Deewaar (1975) where the character of Amitabh Bachan as Vijay is having an argument with his brother, Ravi (played by Shashi Kapoor) on the valuable things that he has, believing that his brother doesn’t have anything to compare with.

 

Vijay: Mere paas property hai, gari hai, bank balance hai… tumaray paas kya hai?

Ravi: Mere paas ‘Maa’ hai

 

Similarly, in this film:

 

Paray Hut Love: Mere paas big budget producer hai, director hai, cinematographer hai… tumaray paas kya hai?

Critics: Mere paas ‘Audience’ hai

 

On a serious note, this film too suffers from weak script which is usually the backbone to any film’s success. If you really believe that you can make a good film out of bad script, well, think again.

ii – Parey Hut Love is so ‘Interesting’ film that I snooze off twice in the first half and once in the second half. And whenever I woke up, there was a song going on. This film strongly reminded me of Shehryar’s first film, Ho Mann Jahaan where one of the lead stars also has made her appearance. And irony is that I slept (don’t know for how long) while watching Ho Mann Jahaan as well.

iii – After watching this film, I would rather say that Shehryar Munawar is a ‘Jinx’ to any film he signs for. If you see his filmography, you would find them highly unwatchable. Such as, Ho Mann Jahaan (2015), Project Ghazi (2017) and 7 Din Mohabbatein (2018). Although, his acting is okay and he is good looking but… all his movies suck badly.

iv – The question is why would you think that audience be interested to see a long list of special thanks given to the different sponsors and participants (who made your film possible) be given a separate slide to look at? Only ones who would be interested in it would be the ones got involved in your project. International market usually does that in the closing credits.

v – I have two words for Coca Cola’s brand endorsement in this film… ‘Fitay Muu’!

vi – It was hard to take Hina Dilpazeer’s character seriously. Even in ‘Emotional’ scenes, she kept cracking jokes. No, that was not beauty of it.

vii – So many cameos and yet most of them were given barely any screen time or importance to the kind of role they should play.

 

 

 

+ Overall

Parey Hut Love is a top notch, big budget forgettable film of the year.

 

 

Rate: 2.25 out of 5 stars

Feature Length Films

Mr. Khan’s Review on Heer Maan Ja (2019)

A review on Pakistani Rom-Com feature length film, Heer Maan Ja (2019). The Production House is IRK Films and Arif Lakhani Films while its Distributors are Geo Films and Distribution Club.

 

 

+ Crew

  • Directed by Azfar Jafri
  • Written by Owais Korai Baloch
  • Director of Photography by Rana Kamran
  • Edited by Mitesh Soni
  • Produced by Imran Raza Kazmi, Hareem Farooq & Arif Lakhani

 

 

 

+Note

Heer Maan Ja is around two people who are extremely enthusiastic about life and their future together. There is a hidden message regarding honor killings in this film.

This is the third time where Hareem Farooq has worked in a film produced by her. The music is composed by Ahmed Ali. Previous two films where Ali Rehman has worked with Hareem Farooq are Allahyar (2018) and Parchi (2018).

Heer Maan Ja is the fourth film from IRK Films directed by Azfar Jafri.

 

 

 

+ Main Cast

  1. Ali Rehman Khan as Kabeer
  2. Hareem Farooq as Heer
  3. Faizan Shaikh as Wajdaan
  4. Mojiz Hassan as Jerry
  5. Shamayale Khattak as Ramzan/Ramzy
  6. Aamina Sheikh as Saba
  7. Abid Ali as Heer’s Father
  8. Anjum Habibi as Wajdaan’s Father
  9. Ali Kazmi as Heer’s Friend

 

 

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+ Supporting Cast

  1. Samina Nighat as Heer’s Mother
  2. Munazzah Arif as Wajdaan’s Mother
  3. Saleem Mairaj as Gangster
  4. Mikaal Zulfiqar as Doctor
  5. N/A as Kabeer’s Co-worker
  6. Shaz Ali Khan as Kabeer’s Friend
  7. Zara Sheikh as Dance Girl (Cameo)
  8. Ahmed Ali Akbar as N/A

 

 

 

 

+ Plot

Heer and Kabeer part ways following a misunderstanding and a tragedy. Years later, there is an encounter which leads to a roller coaster ride of a journey while Heer is in danger.

 

 

 

+ High Points

i – Rare to say this but this film does manage to connect emotionally between their lead characters and the audience. Not often do you see that in a Pakistani film. Either they overdo it or ignore it altogether which is always a bad sign for any genre film.

ii – The writing may not have lived up to one’s expectations but good direction by Azfar Jafri have made this film quite watchable and funny.

iii – Faizan Shaikh as Wajdaan, the film’s antagonist has played his part really well. Previous performances I have watched of his was in Parchi (2018) and Maalik (2016). In both films, he did a good job as an actor. Here too, he gives a splendid performance who looked a real threat to the protagonist to deal with.

iv – Mojiz Hassan’s performance as Jerry, surprised many with his comic performance. Before entering the film industry, he has performed in a number of theatre plays including of Anwar Maqsood’s. We welcome Mojiz to be part of our media industry and looking forward to his upcoming projects. Other Honorable Mentions: Ali Rehman Khan.

v – The direction of photography as well as its lighting made the film visually interesting. Rana Kamran is one of the best cinematographers to do that.

vi – The comic relief characters such as Jerry & Ramzy played by Mojiz Hassan & Shamayale Khattak respectively bought much of the film laughter.

vii – Noteworthy cameos played by Mikaal Zulfiqar and Aamina Sheikh. They made their presence felt and brief comic performance to remember them by.

viii – Good work behind its makeup & hair styling department. The main characters especially were able to glamour on-screen.

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – There were times where the film was at 5th gear of comedy and other times where the film is so much violent. What’s that all about? Try to keep it balance. I was not really sure whether I was watching rom-com or drama-action film. I know that some international films do this genre swap formula. But not every time it works. There are some ‘Hits’ and ‘Misses’ in the international market as well. Stick to the basics, first. Get that right a number of times till you know it well and then do experiments with your films.

ii – Hareem Farooq looks old enough to play these kinds of roles. Hey, I’m not saying that she needs to come in mother’s role. Well, she… doesn’t quite fit in this… love sweet heart roles. Its just, some people start to look older quicker on-screen, that’s all.

iii – This is the first time where I did not enjoy Ali Kazmi’s performance. Here he plays a ‘Tootla’ character which definitely didn’t come out well. He was trying hard to sound funny. And what’s with his Woody Wood Pecker’s hairdo that he always has? You pick any TV serial or film of his, this is the exact same hair style that he has. Change it for God’s sake! Don’t good actors change their hairdo or have a complete makeover when they are doing a different role?

iv – There is definitely some good comedy in the film… but then there’s childish comedy also.

v – After letting the audience know of Kabeer’s terminal illness, it is barely touched upon throughout the film. As if, it didn’t matter anymore. Similarly, with such a family tragedy at hand, Heer decides to wear glowing sneakers to run away from her marriage. Interesting…

vi – Was it not better to see young actors playing the flashback scenes during their college/university days of Kabeer & Heer being together? Instead of making the two lead stars to look ‘Younger’, it would have been a better option to show two young actors playing their lead roles only in flashback. Then the camera & visuals intervene and make the Ali Rehman & Hareem Farooq standing in their places to show the present time. It’s purely director’s call on this. What he has already shown does works also.

vii – So much appreciation given to the film’s sponsors and team. Rather than showing everyone in 2 – 3 slides, every sponsoring partner was getting a separate thanks. Oh, I can assure you that this is really annoying.

viii – When the special thanks slide was given to the McDonalds in the start, it immediately occurred to me to their ruinous product placements that they usually do in every film they get their hands on. Rather than being disastrous, the film tried best to keep them away from the main frame. But still, product placement by McDonalds or any major company most often ends up real’ bad for any film in Pakistan.

ix – The song with Zara Sheikh is a forgettable one.

 

 

 

+ Overall

Unlike many rom-com films released this year, Heer Maan Ja surprisingly has a heart to connect to.

 

 

Rate: 3.0 out of 5 stars

 

Feature Length Films

Mr. Khan’s Review on Superstar (2019)

A review on Pakistani Rom-Com feature length film, Superstar (2019). The Production House is Hum TV while its Distributors are Hum Films.

 

 

+ Crew

  • Directed by Mohammed Ehteshamuddin
  • Written & Music by Azaan Sami Khan
  • Sound Mixing by Rhitwik Raj Pathak
  • Visual Effects by Syed Mujtaba Ali
  • Produced by Momina & Duraid Films

 

 

 

+ Note

Superstar is the story of two characters from different worlds as they journey to find the true meaning of the word ‘Superstar’. Mahira Khan showed great interest to work in this film and wanted its production to start just after her film, Bin Roye (2015).

Gazain Abbas is one NAPA’s theatre actors who performed along Mahira in her on-stage scenes.

 

 

+ Main Cast

  1. Mahira Khan as Noori
  2. Bilal Ashraf as Sameer Khan
  3. Alizeh Shah as Chutki
  4. Nadeem Baig as Agha Jaan
  5. Ali Kazmi as Shaan
  6. Asma Abbas as Choti Ammi
  7. Jawed Sheikh as Zulfiqar Khan
  8. Marina Khan as Laila Khan
  9. Saife Hassan as Zahid Malik

 

 

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+ Supporting Cast

  1. Waqar Hussain as Bobby
  2. Kubra Khan as Actress #1 (Cameo)
  3. Hania Aamir as Actress #2 (Cameo)
  4. Osman Khalid Butt as Actor (Cameo)
  5. Mani as Director #1 (Cameo)
  6. Syra Shehroz as Actress (Cameo)
  7. Fahim Burney as Director
  8. Adnan Shah Tipu as Casting Director

 

 

 

+ Plot

Noor, a budding actress who wants to make it big in the film industry meets Sameer who is a celebrity with stardom. Together they learn the price of success and that sometimes to shine, you need the darkness.

 

 

 

+ High Points

i – Once again, Mahira Khan’s performance has touched to the public’s high expectations. She is certainly a gem for our film industry and we are very proud to have her as our industry’s one of the brightest stars.

ii – I always found Bilal Ashraf to be a good actor and have praised on his performances. He is charming, good looking …yet I would say that his best role is yet to come. In this film, he plays the role of Sameer Khan, a big, famous, handsome star who surprisingly falls in love with a common, beautiful girl. I don’t believe that this film did justice with the kind of role written for him. I see him as an actor who has much more potential in him to do on-screen. I guess we just have to wait and see which film role turns out to be a memorable one for Bilal to stand on top. Other Honorable Mentions: Nadeem Baig, Alizeh Shah and Ali Kazmi.

iii – The first half is much better watch than the other half. I guess more interesting scenes would be the reason; although more towards fantasy.

iv – Beautiful cinematography and lighting. One’s mood does turns off quickly if the film’s visual is weak. But this film makes sure that doesn’t happen. Praiseworthy effort behind the camera, good job!

v – As far as makeup & hair styling is concerned, I believe that they did a great work. The lead stars especially were stunning on-screen.

vi – A good chemistry to watch of Bilal Ashraf and Mahira Khan. Both are likeable stars and its good to see that they were able to bring audience attention towards their love story.

vii – One or two songs are good, especially the last one where Bilal as Sameer Khan sings on-stage. The dance choreography regarding Mahira’s songs is nicely put.

viii – Good work behind its costume designing. Mahira’s and Alizeh’s wardrobe made them look even prettier.

ix – The film’s humor level is hilarious regarding scene sharing of Alizeh and Bilal. Then there are minor funny scenes later on.

x – The production design works well with story line, more suitable with the main and sub plots.

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – This film confirms us, that we really need good writers. Almost every film this year which had high expectations, have failed mainly due to weak story line or writing issues. Why do producers invest in those films which has a frail script? Any experienced producer would straight away say ‘No’ to it. Honestly, who wants to lose his money? Superstar’s writing has same issues which is btw the major flaw for its failure. This movie could have been a good inspiration of A Star Is Born (2018) but was not.

ii – Wow! I had almost zero interest in this film. Primarily because do you really believe that a next-door girl is selected in an ad with a big star who btw falls in love with the same girl. And then after some time, she becomes a superstar without any struggles shown but only mentioned with a swift of 3 years gone by. Just 3 years? And no struggles or rejection shown? You can’t possibly fall in love with such characters. I mean, let people feel their pain, their struggle… let them know how it does it feel to lose them or for their loss. If you don’t do that then don’t expect people to care of what’s happening in the film. Hey, I know that I won’t.

iii – Most of the cameos are useless, not properly utilized. The role of Saife Hassan is totally wasted.

 

 

 

 

+ Overall

Ehteshamuddin’s Superstar promises the audience too much but leaves them in utter disappointment.

 

 

Rate: 2.50 out of 5 stars

 

Theatre Plays

Mr. Khan’s Review on Habib Uncle (2017)

A review on Pakistani Drama theatre play, Habib Uncle aka Habib Mamo (2017). It’s an adapted play, originally written as ‘Uncle Vanya’ by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov.

 

 

+ Crew

  • Directed by Damyanti Gosai

 

 

+ Note
Habib Uncle is an adaptation from Uncle Vanya (1897) which received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski. Uncle Vanya is unique among Chekhov’s major plays because it is essentially an extensive reworking of his own play published a decade earlier, The Wood Demon.

There have been many adaptations into film and TV series, including BBC TV episode Uncle Vanya (1991) featuring renowned stars such as David Warner, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Ian Holm.

+ Full Cast

  1. Muneeb Baig as Habib Mamo aka Uncle Vanya / Ivan
  2. Najma Kifayat as Durdana aka Yelena / Helena
  3. Nadir Hussain as Professor aka Prof. Serebryakov / Aleksandr
  4. Umair Rafiq as Dr. Salman aka Dr. Astrov
  5. Aisha Iqbal as Salimah aka Sonya
  6. Godina Fernadez as Buha aka Nurse / Marina
  7. Imran Fattani as Shareef aka Waffles / Ilyas
  8. Roohi Bano as Fakhrunisa aka Mrs. Voynitsky / Maria

 

 

 

+ Plot
A retired professor has returned to his estate to live with his beautiful young wife, Durdana. The estate originally belonged to his first wife, now deceased; her mother, brother still lives there and manages the farm. There they meet old friends, daughter (by first wife) and family relatives including Habib who still has his undying feelings for Durdana… even after so much time has passed.

 

 
+ High Points
i – A wonderful performance by Umair Rafiq. With passage of time, Umair is proving everyone that he would soon stand in the ranks of great artists and his fellow young performers should see him as a moral example for self-improvement.

ii – Roohi Bano played a very different role and performed nicely. Other Honorable Mentions: Aisha Iqbal.

iii – The makeup artist did a good job.

iv – The set design was nicely presented / constructed.

 

 

+ Low Points
i – After knowing who was directing the play, I had very low expectations. And therefore, I was not disappointed.

ii – There was this unrealism feeling throughout the play, as if the cast were told to PERFORM only rather than to be in their CHARACTERS with natural dialogue delivery.

iii – Overall performances by the entire cast was mild at best.

iv – Although the play was shorten to 50 minutes, that is almost half of the play which was performed instead of 2 hours one. No matter whatever the reasons are behind this decision, the real intense scenes are to be seen in the 2nd half ‘If’ it played out entirely. Really disappointing!

v – For the rest of the cast, kindly pick those roles which are different or challenging while giving good (or above average) performance. Try not to repeat or be stuck in ‘Type Cast’ roles. This would help you to grow and build confidence in yourselves as a strong performer.

 
+ Overall
Habib Uncle is a hard effort to make it closer to the original source… which this play itself is barely watchable.

Rate: 1.0 out 5 stars

 

TV series

Mr. Khan’s Review on Do Qadam Door Thay (2017)

A review on Pakistani Rom-Drama TV Series, Do Qadam Door Thay (2017) aka [Two Steps Away]. The Production Houses are Ironline Productions and KK Entertainment whereas its Distributor is Geo Entertainment.

 

 

+ Crew

  1. Directed & Produced by Mohsin Mirza
  2. Creative Director by Kashif Ahmed Butt
  3. Written by Kifayat Rodani
  4. Title Song by Nida Arab and Nabeel Shaukat Ali

 

 

+ Note
Do Qadam Door Thay aired on Geo Entertainment from 3rd Feb 2014 – 7th Apr 2014. In total it consists of 21 episodes. It is about selfishness, deceit and betrayal. The winner of Sur Kshetra, the singers of hit OSTs were Darmiyan, Shukk, Pachtawa and Zindagi Tere Bina while this OST is composed by Waqar Ali. This story is loosely based on the novel ‘Zan Zar Zameen’ by Wajeda Tabassum.

After the fame drama series Hum Safar, Do Qadam Door Thay gained the 2nd highest TRP and ran for couple of years more.

  

 

+ Main Cast

  1. Aiza Khan as Nayab Iqbal
  2. Sami Khan as Zohabuddeen/Zoab
  3. Alyy Khan as Dr. Salman
  4. Sana Khan as Neesha
  5. Faisal Naqvi as Zoab’s Close Friend
  6. Anum Aqeel as Nayab’s Close Friend

 

 

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+ Supportive Cast

  1. Qavi Khan as Zohab’s Grandfather
  2. Azra Mohenuddin as Zohab’s Mother
  3. Fareeha Jabeen as Welfare’s Monitor
  4. Shahid Naqvi as Welfare’s Ward Head
  5. Ambar Arshad as Zoab’s Sister
  6. Kunwar Arsalan as Raza (Nayab’s Cousin)
  7. N/A (woman) as Beggar

 

 

 

+ Plot

To save Nayab’s life and her future, a random young guy, Zoab is kidnapped and forced to marry Nayyab by her cousin Raza. After marriage as soon as Zoab finds the chance, he ditches her in the middle of the road. After some time, Zoab feels guilty on his part and tries to find her. But the problem is, both of them did not saw each other faces nor remember their names.

 

 

 

+ High Points

i – Faisal Naqvi is a wonderful actor. I have watched and praised of his performance in the drama series Sangdil (2016) as well. And here too, he turned out to be a good choice too.

ii – Anum Aqeel’s performance is the first one I have watched and pleased by it. Other Honorable Mentions: Alyy Khan and N/A (woman who performed as a Beggar).

iii – Alyy Khan’s character was written better than the roles he is usually offered to do.

iv – I liked the writer’s move of comparison to show the behavior of maturity by Dr. Salman and immaturity by Zoab towards Nayyab.

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – I find hard to agree with the story’s main plot.  Forceful marriage is NEVER considered as VALID / ACCEPTABLE marriage in terms of law and in the eyes of ANY respected religion.

ii – For a short story like this one, total 17 episodes are more than enough.

iii – Sami Khan … this guy simply cannot act. It’s a SERIOUS advice for him to concentrate and work hard on his acting skills.

iv – In the start of this drama series, anyone with right mind would know and act quickly in changing the bridal red dress before many curious people attentions are grabbed. However in this series, Nayyab acts upon it too late.

v – When Nayyab goes to meet an older guy at his ‘office’ and he quickly reveals his ill intentions for her. Its highly unrealistic to see that he actually waits for Nayyab to dial the caller and speak with him for few seconds before deciding to hang the phone down; means giving the chance to the caller of her panic situation and to know the dialed the number (which would reveal the location address too).
vi – Zoab and his close friend have nothing to talk about than of Zoab’s forced marriage & finding his wife.

vii – Nayab’s kidnapping part was totally unnecessary inserted in the story.

viii – Damn you PEMRA! It’s a great skill to understand the difference of normal and intimate scenes.

ix – Nayyab did not appeared or looked as beautiful as the way all other characters were reacting to her beauty.

 

 

+ Overall
When it comes to romantic-drama series, Do Qadam Door Thay stumbles down from its path mainly due to lack of interesting subplots and below average direction.

 

 

Rate: 1.0 out of 5 stars

 

Feature Length Films

Mr. Khan’s Review on Josh: Independence through Unity (2013)

A review on Pakistani Thriller feature length film, Josh: Independence through Unity (2013). The Production Houses are Parveen Shah Productions & Twenty Nine Dash One Productions while its Distributor is ARY Films.

 

 

+ Crew

  • Directed, Story, Screenplay & Produced by Iram Parveen Bilal
  • Cinematography by Nausheen Dadabhoy
  • Co-Screenplay by Farah Usman
  • Edited by Jochen Kunstler
  • Co-Produced by Saad Bin Mujeeb & Kelly Thomas

 

 

 

+ Note

Josh world premiered at the Mumbai International Film Festival in October 2012. The film released in Pakistan on 12 August 2013. The Music is composed by Shahi Hasan & Andrew T. Mackay. The themes being tackled are class separation, feudalism, poverty, individual empowerment, and women’s rights.

This film received the 2012 Women in Film Finishing Grant, the 2013 Silent River Film Festival Best First Feature and Best Actress, the 2013 Filmfest Hamburg, Best Political Film Nomination. It also won the Best Screenplay Jury Prize and the Best Feature Film Audience Prize at the Washington, D.C. South Asian Film Festival 2014.

 

 

 

+ Main Cast

  1. Aamina Sheikh as Fatima
  2. Mohib Mirza as Uzair
  3. Naveen Waqar as Ayla
  4. Khalid Malik as Adil
  5. Adnan Shah as Gulsher
  6. Khalid Ahmed as Khawaja
  7. Saleem Mairaj as Master Khalid
  8. Ali Rizvi as Ahmed
  9. Kiaser Khan Nizamani as Khan
  10. Nyla Jaffri as Nusrat Bi
  11. Parveen Akbar as Parveen
  12. Faizan Haqquee as Zeeshan

 

 

 

+ Plot

It is about Fatima, a dedicated school teacher, who is living a high cosmopolitan life in Karachi until one day her life shatters when her nanny Nusrat-bhi inexplicably disappears. Fatima then takes on the challenge to seek the dangerous truth in Nusrat’s feudal village.

 

 

 

+ High Points

i – Aamina Sheikh’s performance is very fascinating. She exceeded the expectations of the audience due her convincing performance.

ii – Mohib Mirza has a small supporting role in the film which came time to time. It’s known to everyone that Mohib is a wonderful actor and here too made a place in the film to remember him by with.

iii – Adnan Shah played a second-in-command bodyguard and a right-hand man to Kiaser Khan Nizamani. He is a great actor who never disappoints his fans and audience alike. Take my word for it that this is a very good film with great performances by everyone. Other Honorable Mentions: Saleem Mairaj, Nyla Jaffri and rest of the cast.

iv – Excellent direction by Iram Parveen Bilal. I am shocked to why I never heard of this director before or any praises from anyone on this film before? I remember when it was newly released in Pakistan but ran only few days at the cinema. This is a gem of our Pakistani film industry that should not be left forgotten.

v – The cinematography is very truthfully shot of our rural and urban areas.

vi – The story & screenplay are written so well that it helped the film to be very interesting to watch.

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – The film’s time length is short whereas the viewers wanted to see more of it.

 

 

 

+ Overall

Powerful film, thanks to landmark performances by the entire cast, Josh is a drama thriller film where its superb direction and screenplay would definitely boast up our Pakistani film industry to its new heights.

 

 

Rate: 4.25 out of 5 stars

 

TV series

Mr. Khan’s Review on Pani Jaisa Piyar (2011)

A review on Pakistani TV Drama Serial, Pani Jaisa Piyar (2011) aka [Love Like Water]. Its Production House is Momal Production while its Distributor is Hum TV.

 

 

+ Crew

  • Directed by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat.
  • Created by Salma Kanwal
  • Produced by Momina Duraid
  • Written by Moomal Shunaid
  • Theme Music Composed by Waqar Ali.

 

+ Note
Pani Jaisa Piyar aired on Hum TV from 27th Jan 2011 – 19th May 2011. It consists of total 17 episodes. The Title Song “Paani Jaisa Piyar Hai Tera” is performed by Sanam Marvi and Abu Mohammad.

 

 

 

+ Main Cast

  1. Saba Qamar as Sana
  2. Mikaal Zulfiqar as Adarsh
  3. Samina Ahmad as Nuzhat
  4. Samina Peerzada as Arfa (Adarsh’s mother)

 
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+ Supportive Cast

  1. Juggan Kazim as Sasha
  2. Ahsan Khan as Saad
  3. Nausheen Shah as Dua
  4. Firdous Jamal as (Adarsh’s father)

 

 

 

+ Plot
It centers around Sana, who lives in a very conservative society with her small family. After getting involved in terrible incidents (separately) with Sana and her brother, yet she does come clean with her future in-laws of her past but would they are willing to accept her as their daughter-in-law or would Adarsh ever truly love her when he is already committed to Sasha, his childhood sweet heart?

 

+ High Points
I – The performances by Ahsan Khan, Firdous Jamal and Samina Ahmad were mild whereas Saba Qamer did a bold role of Sana.

ii – Good thing that there were total only 17 episodes which is a welcome for the viewers. Trust me, the less there is the better for this plot.

+ Low Points
i – How the character of Adarsh was portrayed on screen? It seemed very unrealistic as how he was behaving throughout with Sana. If the character has a spoiled personality or he always had quick temperament or a lay person then yes, his behavior with Sana would be logical and understandable. His manner with her appeared ‘Forced’.

ii – I find the story just okay as it was not as exciting to watch as the plot might seemed to be. It was really hard to think of high points for this drama. Either it was mild or not good to refer here. Yes, I am aware that this TV drama was very popular among viewers, which is a mystery for me. To be honest, I did not enjoy watching it.

iii – Adarsh’s lie to Sasha does not make any head or tail as she would have eventually found it out. So WHY LIE? The reason he gave in the end was so LAME, God please! Make it STOP ALREADY!

iv – Sasha is portrayed by Juggan Kazim who shouts so much that viewers would consider Sana over Adarsh’s wife at any time. …who would want Sasha as anyone’s wife if she is shouting all the time? Yikes!

v – The supporting character of Dua and her lover was so boring; hardly any interest that one would take in her side of the story. And to make the matter worse, we get to know who is her real mom is which was absolutely UNNECESSARY inserted in this story. I mean, REALLY?! The writer just did not know how to fill the gaps!

vi – Typically what we see that whenever there is an evil or devilish scheme of a person, there is a score played accordingly of that character to give a hint to the viewers that something really bad is about to happen. Yes, very, very BAD! OOOOOOOO!

vii – Although Samina Peerzada’s performance was alright but her continuous crying only reminded me of Julianne Moore’s crying.

viii – The number of times Sana fallen ill and was took to the (same) hospital repeatedly made the viewers’ wonder perhaps soon the management of the hospital would ask Sana’s in-laws to make their membership card so that the next time Sana falls ill and bought here, she would definitely get a good discount.

ix – There were few shock treatments shown (off-screen mostly) of violent assault is a good turning point of Sana, the domestic abuse and the outcome of her brother but their consequences did not grab the audience as it should have been. I was really looking forward to see its result but it left me completely unsatisfied. In its end, everything is just forgotten and forgiven! Huh? No confrontation of your sins with justice?? Forgive just like that! Wha… Are you KIDDING me??

x –The finale was better than its expectations but didn’t quite reach its mark of acceptance. The thing is that Pakistani TV drama serials have this habit of playing it safe. It is very rare that they would ever go to the length of being controversial or use the RISK factor. Here too they did the same thing.

 

 

+ Overall
While Pani Jaisa Pyar looks curious and conveys its portion of firm performances, it also suffers from bumpy storytelling and rarely unfathomable plotting and characterization.

 
Rate: 2.25 out of 5 stars

 

 

Feature Length Films

Mr. Khan’s Review on 3 Bahadur (2015) and 3 Bahadur: The Revenge of Baba Balaam (2016) [Double Feature]

A review on Pakistani Double Feature length Animated films, 3 Bahadur (2015) and 3 Bahadur: The Revenge of Baba Balaam (2016). The Production Houses are Waadi Animations, SOC Films & ARY Films Productions while its Distributor is ARY Films.

 

 

+ Crew

  • Directed & Produced by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy
  • Cinematography & Written by Kamran Khan
  • Edited by Husain Qaizar
  • Music by John Angier
  • Co-Produced by Salman Iqbal and Jerjees Seja

 

 

+Note

3 Bahadur is set in a fictional town called Roshan Basti (Town of light). Equipped with courage and super powers, they battle against the odds and stand up to injustice to restore peace and harmony in their once thriving community and live a very happy life. Hollywood actor, Jude Law voiced as Mangu in US.

Two times Academy award winner documentary film-maker, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy has directed and produced both of these films. It became the highest-grossing animated film and 7th highest-grossing film of Pakistan at the local box office which grossed ₨6.63 crore (US$630,000) after 50 days of successful run in cinemas.

This time in 3 Bahadur: The Revenge of Baba Balaam Saadi’s Mother is voiced by Sarwat Gilani and Teeli voiced by Ali Gul Pir. Zeba Shahnaz has first time voiced in an animated movie. Besides Sarwat, Fahad Mustafa, Ahmed Ali Butt and Salman Shahid also lend their voices in this sequel.

The sequel grossed over ₨6.75 crore in total.

 

 

 

+ Main Cast (of 3 Bahadur)

  1. Zuhab Khan as Saadi
  2. Muneeba Yaseen as Amna
  3. Hanzala Shahid as Kamil
  4. Nadir Siddiqui as Baba Balaam
  5. Behroze Sabzwari as Deenu Chacha
  6. Aly Khan as Young Mangu
  7. Khalid Ahmed as old Mangu
  8. Farhan Qureshi as Saadi’s father

 

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

 

+ Supporting Cast

  1. Abu Rashid Khan as Kamil’s father
  2. Kulsoom Aftab Ahmed as Saadi’s mother
  3. Mustafa Changazi as Tony
  4. Badar Qureshi as Sannata
  5. Wasif Arshad as Teeli
  6. Bassam Shazali as Pateeli/Chapta
  7. Hammad Siddiqui as Gutka/Shikra
  8. Joel Frenzer as Gabru

 

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

 

+ Main Cast (of 3 Bahadur: The Revenge of Baba Balaam)

  1. Zuhab Khan as Saadi
  2. Arisha Razi as Amna
  3. Hanzala Shahid as Kamil
  4. Fahad Mustafa as Imran
  5. Fahim Khan as Baba Balaam
  6. Behroze Sabzwari as Deenu
  7. Ahmad Ali Butt as Gola

 

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

 

+ Supporting Cast

  1. Sarwat Gilani as Saadi’s Mother
  2. Zeba Shahnaz as Parrot
  3. Ali Gul Pir as Teeli / Lolly
  4. Hammad Siddiq as Ghutka / Shikra
  5. Bassam Shazli as Pateeli / Chatpa
  6. Qadim Sahm as Sr. Animator
  7. Mustafa Changazi as Tony

 

 

 

+ Plot (of 3 Bahadur)

Three extraordinary children rise from the most unlikely of places to save their town from the evil that plagues it.

 

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

 

+ Plot (of 3 Bahadur: The Revenge of Baba Balaam)

Three extraordinary children return with a task of defeating Baba Balaam who is rising again.

 

 

 

+ High Points

i – The level of animation produced by Pakistani animated industry, this is a good job done.

ii – The direction by Oscar winner, Sharmeen Obaid is cleverly presented.

iii – The cinematography shots are nicely executed.

iv – Good, talented work on voice acting by entire cast.

v – Effective work on its film editing.

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – The target audience is strictly for children. As for the adults / families, they most likely would not find it enjoyable.

ii – The plot is as mentioned before, childish… too simple for superhero kids’ film.

iii – Except for few, most of the characters are under developed.

iv – The songs were hardly memorable.

v – The entire film is too predictable including its end.

vi – There was no reason to change the existing actors who lend their voices in previous installment such as Kulsoom Aftab voiced for Saadi’s Mom. This time Sarwat Gilani was introduced for the same character. Similarly few characters’ voice actors were changed with well-known celebrities. It is only due to star power they were changed, otherwise a very satisfying performance was already given previously.

Clearly, Kulsoom is far better actress than Sarwat. I would give my lifetime money’s worth on her but here in our film industry, star popularity what really counts and is given more importance than to who can better perform. If we do not promote these (under rated) talented performers towards the limelight, then our film industry would always be left behind than to all other performing foreign film industries. There would never be truly any revival of our film industry and talented stars that still need a strong push out in the market to make name for themselves.

 

 

+ Overall

3 Bahadur & its sequel, 3 Bahadur – The Revenge of Baba Balaam are smart, funny and have dazzling special effects for the kids. Though, still has a long way to go to impress the family audience.

 

 

Rate: 2.75 out of 5 stars