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abidhussain37
Reviews
Janaan (2016)
A marvellous entertainer!
I am trying to fathom whether rodrig58 is talking about the same film that I saw last night. The film that I saw was a highly entertaining romantic comedy yarn that is different from the run of the mill Bollywood farce that churn out in a constant stream and on such a regular basis. The cast was a breath of fresh air and the debonair and most handsome hero Bilal Ashraf gave an amazing performance with his husky voice and very well supported by the entire cast. I would hate to give away a spoiler about the twist in the film about a real evil of child abuse and education. I say this film is highly recommended and a must watch!
Jalaibee (2015)
A wonderful film
Jalaibee was a fun experience, a film that had everything. A crime caper interweaving around three different stories that meet at the climax. More of a pulp fiction style but considerably less gritty. It had humour action and a perfect ending with a very wise message that short cut in life leads to ruin. I am not going to give any further details however I would thoroughly recommend this movie if you want to be entertained. The visuals were stunning and with great camera work. The background score was great and so were the few songs in the movie. The only negatives were the little wooden acting by Wiqar Ali a Khan which is understandable as his first language is not Urdu and he mainly spoke in English.
Josh (2013)
A beautiful film
It is the first time in my life that I watched two Pakistani movies within a week. First was Waar and then Josh. Pakistani movies in the past have been mostly disappointing, technically substandard with weak plots and over acting. Things are now definitely looking up.
Watching Josh was a beautiful experience. It is an uplifting story of a middle class professional city woman who made a stand to seek the truth about the death of her nanny. After discovering that she was murdered by a powerful and wealthy landlord of the area, she showed great courage, to seek justice against overwhelming odds, whilst helping the poor who traditionally relied upon the landlord. To seek justice she put herself in harms way.
The acting was superb with Aamina Sheikh giving a very powerful emotional and gripping performance and she was excellently supported by the whole cast. The camera work cinematography and background music was awesome. Kudos to Iram Bilal for directing such a beautiful film.
As a British Pakistani I am amazed at the quality of the films that I have seen recently and I am hopeful and pray that this trend continues. Josh was not mind numbing superficial look good feel good film with lots of songs and dances interspersed but rather gritty evocative and thoughtful with a powerful message. The message was truly uplifting, a confident educated bright women taking a stand a stand for justice in a male dominated society and succeeding against the odds.
I was disappointed that the theatre was half full for this wonderful film and that it should have received a lot more publicity than it did. It only has two shows in the weekend in selected cinemas in the UK which clearly is not enough!
Waar (2013)
An amazing cinematic experience!
As the end credits of Waar rolled away with an awesome background music score, I stood up from my seat beaming proudly with a wide smile. I came to watch Waar, as a British Pakistani, keen to help support Pakistani cinema industry stand on its feet. Although, I accept that I had come with high expectations of the film with so much hype around, I was definitely not expecting a Hollywood standard action movie. I was in awe.
Before I begin my review it will help the readers, if I briefly explain about the Pakistani film industry to better appreciate the feat of producing such a film in Pakistan. Although, the film industry was thriving until the late 70's it went into a steep decline caused by the then ruler Zia ul Haq's islamisation policies, piracy and the competition from Bollywood. Even the word 'industry' is inappropriate as prior to Waar there have been very few notable films worthy of being shown to international audiences. There are no studios, no government support, no notable film schools and only now there appears to be some investments in cinemas. A film like this coming out of Pakistan is therefore a great achievement and sets a high bar for the future.
Waar, in Urdu, the national language means 'to strike'. This film is a Pakistani take on the vicious terror war taking place in the country leaving thousands dead and injured each year. The film shows gruesome violence galore but with a patriotic and positive take and as it should be, good wining over evil.
The first action scene starts when the character Ehtesham conducts a raid on a terrorists hide out. The film then slowly builds the story of Major Mujtaba, the lead character and his past involvement with lead villain who had caused the death of his wife and child.
The action is ratcheted in the second half. The second half is a roller coaster ride. If you are into your action movies then you will be in for a feast. There are explosions, fireworks from cannons, RPGs and all types of firearms from assault rifles to hand guns, the Gatling gun and rockets of the cobra gunship. Those of you who know your guns will be able to hear the difference in sounds of the guns, the sound effects are simply awesome. The final scene of the fight on the Islamabad convention centre roof is breath taking and excellently choreographed.
The only two areas where I feel the film could have done better is the screenplay on the first half and that they should have made it purely Urdu movie with subtitles for non Urdu speakers.
Now, many of you will raise a valid question, a Pakistani movie??? The answer is....don't underestimate Pakistani talent. It is the director Bilal Lashari first movie, hats off to you sir. I am so looking forward to your next project. This movie has now set the tone for the revival of Pakistani cinema.