Money Back Guarantee and Aasman Bolay Ga lead the race for the ‘next big film’ in what can be a make-or-break year for Pakistani cinema
Pakistan’s film industry is at the moment standing on the proverbial thin ice. On one hand, it has seen success like never before with The Legend of Maula Jatt while on the other, no big-budget film has succeeded at the box office since the Bilal Lashari epic. In fact, multiple films which were supposed to grace the screens this year had their release postponed for one reason or the other.
The next few months will however see a change for the better as multiple films are scheduled for release in cinemas. Will they manage to do well and steer the film industry away from its troubles, or will they follow suit and succumb to the pressure of the last year’s big hit, that remains to be seen. Let’s go through these films and find out whether they would be able to take the industry forward, or will not help it move away from its already depleted state.
Money Back Guarantee (Eid ul Fitr)
Cast: Mikaal Zulfiqar, Kiran Malik, Marhoom Ahmed Bilal, Shayan Khan, Gohar Rasheed, Mani, Jan Rambo, Ali Safina, Wasim Akram, Fawad Khan, Shaniera Akram, Ayesha Omar, Javed Sheikh, Hina Dilpazir
Writer: Faisal Qureshi
Director: Faisal Qureshi
All those who have grown up watching Faisal Qureshi (of Teen Bata Teen fame) over the years are anxious to see him translate his success into films, and with Money Back Guarantee he is likely to entertain them in his unique style. He was there when Video Junction became the most popular music chart show in the country and was also behind the many Telco commercials that changed the way ads were made in the country.
In his quest for perfection, the writer-director has teamed up with Shayan Khan and Mikaal Zulfiqar who will be leading a star cast featuring Gohar Rasheed, Marhoom Ahmed Bilal, Kiran Malik, Mani, Jan Rambo, Ali Safina, and others whereas Fawad Khan, Wasim Akram and his Australian wife Shaniera will be making their brief appearances as well. At first glance, the film might resemble the Netflix series Money Heist but the director claims that the backstory is much different from what has been unveiled in the trailer, and we believe him, hoping to thank him with a Teri Meherbani in Ufone style.
Huey Tum Ajnabi (Eid ul Fitr)
Cast: Mikaal Zulfiqar, Sadia Khan, Shamoon Abbasi, Sohail Ahmed, Mehmood Aslam, Samina Peerzada, Ayesha Omar, Shafqat Cheema, Adnan Jeelani
Writer: Kamran Shahid
Director: Kamran Shahid
Journalist turned TV anchor Kamran Shahid follows his father veteran actor Shahid into films with this love story set in 1970s Pakistan where a boy from West Pakistan falls in love with a girl from the East wing, and hell follows with it. Not only has the writer-director set the film in 1971, but he has also brought to life real-life characters who have never been seen in a Pakistani film, including Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Indira Gandhi, and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
The film features Mikaal Zulfiqar, and Sadia Khan as the main lead while veteran actor Shahid, Mehmood Aslam, Shamoon Abbasi, Samina Peerzada, Ayesha Omar, Adnan Jeelani, and Shafqat Cheema are also part of the cast. It would be interesting to see how Mehmood Aslam manages to pull off the character of Bangladesh’s founding father Mujeeb Ur Rehman and Samina Peerzada play Indira Gandhi who are supporting, yet very important, characters in the plot.
Daadal (Eid ul Fitr)
Cast: Sonya Hussyn, Mohsin Abbas Haider, Shamoon Abbasi, Adnan Shah, Maira Khan
Writer: Abu Aleeha
Director: Abu Aleeha
Usually, writer/director Abu Aleeha’s films are low-budget but in recent years he has shown that he doesn’t need big bucks to make big films. His Javed Iqbal biopic might have been banned in Pakistan but it has won multiple awards internationally for both the lead actor Yasir Hussain and the writer/director Abu Aleeha, proving that he isn’t aiming for the box office but for cult status around the world.
The film features the versatile Sonya Hussyn in the lead role of a female boxer from Lyari who decides to become a contract killer to avenge her sister’s honor. It would be great to see Sonya in the action-oriented role considering she hasn’t tried anything like that yet. She will share the screen in this venture with Mohsin Abbas Haider, Shamoon Abbasi, Adnan Shah Tipu, and Maira Khan, making it an interesting venture worth waiting for.
Allahyar and the 100 flowers of God (2nd June 2023)
Cast: Anum Zaidi, Azfar Jafri, Bushra Ansari, Iqra Aziz, Humayun Saeed, Meera, Ali Zafar
Writer: Uzair Zaheer Khan
Director: Uzair Zaheer Khan
If you thought that making a 3D film in Pakistan would be next to impossible, think again because director Uzair Zaheer Khan will be breaking that barrier with his animated flick Allahyar and the 100 flowers of God. The sequel to the successful Allahyar and the legend of Markhor will hit the screens this summer and is all set to set a standard, just like The Donkey King did a few years back. The film features a stellar voice cast besides Anum Zaidi as Allahyar and Azfar Jafri as Hero, and if each name doesn’t raise an eyebrow, then you definitely aren’t living on the same planet as the rest.
It will mark the voice-over debut of Humayun Saeed, Iqra Aziz, and Meera whereas veteran actress Bushra Ansari will return to the familiar territory after winning the hearts of all with Dirtee in Commander Safeguard. Although the 3D trailer hasn’t been released yet, it was ‘teased’ to a select audience at a special event, and trust me, when it would be released, it would blow your mind, guaranteed!
Babylicious (Eid ul Azha)
Cast: Shehroz Sabzwari, Syra Yousuf
Writer: Omar Essa
Director: Omar Essa
Actor turned director Omar Essa’s film has been in development for more than six years; when he started the project, it was promoted as a romantic venture featuring the real-life couple Syra and Shehroz Sabzwari who were not just popular as actors but their fans were anxious to see them together for the first time. However, since their divorce a few years back, and Shehroz’s marriage to model-turned-actress Sadaf Kanwal, the dynamics seem to have changed for the worse.
Now the two actors romancing each other on-screen are former partners, and that could backfire on the audience. However, the first-time film director was smart enough to release a song ahead of Valentine’s Day that didn’t feature the two former lovebirds as a couple, and if the film’s plot is more or less similar to the song’s situation, it might do well when released this Eid Ul Azha.
Aasman Bolay Ga (To be announced)
Cast: Maya Ali, Emad Erfani, Adnan Jaffar, Asim Bukhari
Writer: Shoaib Mansoor
Director: Shoaib Mansoor
Despite the failure of his last film Verna, Shoaib Malik is all set for a comeback with another venture, this time featuring Maya Ali and Emad Erfani together. Unlike his previous films Khuda Ke Liye, Bol, and Verna, this film will take him back to the days of Sunehrey Din and Alpha Bravo Charlie where he collaborated with the Armed forces and managed to deliver what is now known as classic TV.
Although details about the film haven’t been released yet, the poster shows Emad Erfani as a Pakistan Air Force officer and Maya Ali as an Indian journalist which intrigues everyone from his fans to his critics. ShoMan doesn’t divulge details about his plot to anyone before the film’s release, nor does he plagiarize stuff from abroad, which means that his film will not be a Veer Zara styled cross-border romantic flick but something on another level altogether.
