By: Omair Alavi The year 2017 hasn’t seen much success when it comes to Pakistani films but it is all set to change with Eid ul Azha where the impressive Na Maloom Afraad 2 will be screened parallel to Punjab Nahi Jaungi. Now the NMA 2 trailer was brilliantly compiled and in order to match or better that, PNJ people had…
SAMAA | Omair Alavi – Posted: Jul 7, 2017 | Last Updated: 4 years ago
By: Omair Alavi
The year 2017 hasn’t seen much success when it comes to Pakistani films but it is all set to change with Eid ul Azha where the impressive Na Maloom Afraad 2 will be screened parallel to Punjab Nahi Jaungi. Now the NMA 2 trailer was brilliantly compiled and in order to match or better that, PNJ people had to come up with something different – and they did! They take the ‘Good things come to those who wait’ to next level with Great Trailers come to those who wait. In addition, that wait, is over!
WHAT I MAKE OF THE PLOT
One Guy
Two Girls
One with a Boyfriend, other seeking one.
Two families with powerful patriarchs
Karachi vs Punjab clash
THE GOOD
The best thing about the trailer is its cast – Humayun Saeed may look a little older here but trust me, the director will cover it with some logic that will make sense. Mehwish Hayat looks stunning in each frame she is, be it talking in normal tone, dancing in the rain or shouting to save herself; Urwa Hocane seems composed and at ease here, then she was in Na Maloom Afraad 2 trailer where she had no dialogue at all. You get to see a changed Ahmed Ali Butt who gets to dance, sing and above all, deliver a witty line here and there. The return of Waseem Abbas and veteran actress Naveed Shehzad into films has given this trailer the ‘extra’ points it needed to go one up against competition. Finally, there is Saba Hamid who seems to have a strong role in the movie that revolves around Humayun-Mehwish-Urwa trio.
THE BAD
I didn’t seem to agree with the start of the trailer – Humayun Saeed’s Voice Over could have been replaced with a powerful scene; I am sure the film has many. The ‘When Desi Meets Vilayati’ seems to be a tribute to When Harry Met Sally and could also have been either modified or removed. We don’t get to see much of Waseem Abbas in the trailer who is appearing in a film after a long time. Does the trailer give too much of the story; I don’t think so because when its Nadeem Baig as director, things are likely to go into the right direction, then in the wrong.
THE UNEXPECTED
The film surprises you on many fronts – the first being the presence of Azfar Rehman as the Villain. He plays the guy who is scared of losing his girl to a Faisalabadi munda who doesn’t seem to know the difference between a girl and a pet. Then there is the brilliant Sohail Ahmed back into films after a decade who plays the grandfather of Humayun’s character. He seems to have the best lines penned for him by the great Khalil ur Rehman Qamar who also makes a comeback to films after Koi Tujh Sa Kahaan.We all know that dialogues are Khalil sahab’s forte and no matter how many films appear opposite PNJ, no one will have the same intensity as the pen of Khalil ur Rehman Qamar.
VERDICT – 4.5/5
It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that PNJ is the kind of film our producers and directors must invest in, as they are not depressing but a happy-go-lucky trip with the best people in the business. The culture is all Pakistani and so are the dialogues, which is something we were missing here. The screenplay promises to be something huge because when you mix excellent dialogues and performances, a blockbuster is born and this blockbuster is known as Punjab Nahi Jaungi.
