At a time when most films in Pakistan revolve around romantic comedies, the trailer of Kashan Admani’s Carma hopes to break the ice and introduce the cinegoers to thrillers, Quentin Tarantino style. The fast-paced action-packed thriller not only gives new hope to filmmakers who want to explore different genres but also to the audience who are tired of watching the same stuff over and over.
The trailer launch was attended by the who’s who of the film and music industry in Pakistan, and although Adnan Siddiqui who plays an important part in the film wasn’t present, most of the main cast members were there. From Osama Tahir to Zhalay Sarhadi, from Navin Waqar to Vajdaan Shah, from Umer Aalam to Paras Masroor, everyone was there smiling, because they know that the kind of work, they have done in the movie is groundbreaking.
Said to have been inspired by the work of acclaimed Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino who is famous for his stylized filmmaking, Kashan Admani’s flick revolves around multiple themes, including vengeance, adultery, deceit, and female empowerment. Not only that, it also highlights social evils like child labor, and pedophilia to name a few. Add to that a carjacking, a kidnapping, a murder, and a betrayal and you have a made-as-Hollywood film on your hand that takes place on the streets of Karachi, maybe in your neighborhood.
When the trailer was shown to the attendees, they all wanted more mostly because they hadn’t seen something this over-the-top (in a good way!) in a long time. While speaking on the occasion, director and co-producer Kashan Admani told the audience that the reason they opted for carjacking as a plot had more to do with the rise of carjacking in Karachi than anything else. He also thanked his financers, the actors, and the many people who worked behind the scenes for sticking with him, and hopes that the audience would love the film whenever it is released in cinemas.
Shot in Karachi and London, the film seems to be a revenge saga that would take the audience on a high-speed ride that too under lights, with Zhalay Sarhadi, Paras Masroor, and Umer Aalam acting as abductors and Osama Tahir as the abductee. Loaded with adrenaline-heavy moments including a never-before-attempted car chase that might or might not end with a well-executed car crash, the film is likely to raise the bar in every department. From VFX to character acting, background score, and sound design, Carma seems to have spent quality time on post-production, which is reflected in the trailer.
The Humsafar-famed Navin Waqar who is making her film debut through this movie also had good things to say about the cast, the crew, and the makers. Osama Tahir and Zhalay Sarhadi who made their debuts earlier also chipped in, lauding Kashan Admani for his vision and execution of that visionary project. Theatre actors Paras Masroor and Vajdaan Shah who play the bad guy alongside Umer Aalam also graced the occasion with their comments that showed that they didn’t make this movie to earn money but to bring respect to Pakistani filmmakers who don’t attempt ‘different’ film because of fear of failure.
Written by Fawad Hai who is also the co-producer of the movie, Carma also features British singer and actor Lili Caseley in an important role, and all scenes featuring her were shot in London. Veteran TV actors Khaled Anam & Arjumand Rahim also have impactful cameos in the film and are integral to the plot, as shown in the trailer.
Another thing that leaves a mark on the audience’s mind is the production quality of the movie. There is a scene in the trailer where a gangster executes a killing at a drive-in theatre, but since there are no drive-in theatres in Karachi, it must have been a huge task creating one just for the sequence. Also, the sequence shown in the trailer where Adnan Siddiqui’s character teaches a younger person to drive a car is quite impressive and makes the audience curious about the film.
The makers have not announced a date for the film’s release but since it’s more Hollywood than Pakistani, any date except Eid ul Azha would be great for Carma. It is a good attempt by Pakistani filmmakers and technicians and needs to be released at a time when there is a dearth of films in the cinema, not an abundance of movies.
