021 To be candid about this, I think this film is a lean, mean, menacing beast of a film. It rivets your attention from the opening to the end and the screws of tension are relentlessly and smartly tightened. It also asks you to keep paying constant attention, it's not a film where there maybe scenes where one can relax on a consistent basis and yet be able to understand the action of its plot unfolding.
As I am still trying to fully grapple with the film, and yet I feel like writing a response.
From the release of Khuda Kay Liye (in the name of God)till date all the films released in the name of revival of cinema in Pakistan have made me respond with Khuda Kay Wastay Aisi filmain mat banaoo (Dont make boring films in the name of God), I was quite sure that we will keep fooling ourselves, people across the border will keep lying to us by looking at our pathetic craft and skill and we will blindly keep believing that we are at the zenith of our artistic craft.
However, this film is in many ways remarkable. It is able to tell a fictional story provoked by something very real from reality. And it tells that story using the form of a Menacing thriller. Where the loyalties of the characters seem to swing, events don't always turn out as the characters expect them to or we.
One of the main skills of Direction is to be able to construct illusion of reality and therefore allowing the audience to suspend their disbelief for the period of the film's duration. It is quite apparent by watching 90% of the films released in the name of revival had this basic ingredient missing. And once that is the case, no matter how witty, how original, how slick, how good-looking a film maybe, it is and it can only be a serious disappointment only, regardless of what genre it belongs to.
The performances within this film from the smallest character such as Vajdaan Shah's character are remarkably convincing in what they do, none of the actors seem to be forcing themselves to act well and yet they do. I teach Directing actors as a course, I can assure some serious work has been put into it. And that is how it should be. Actors must bring the ring of real life behavior to the character they play and the actions they perform, even when those things may not be close to you as a person.
Scoring is like another character, it participates in the effective telling of this narrative in such a crucial way, that it is heartening to see someone thinking of sound as a storytelling device rather than a tool of enhancement only.
I like Jami's videos, most of us did. But since I'm in the business of teaching most of the things related with making a film, cannot help but find areas of slack and criticize it for everyone's benefit. Though when I reflect more, I might find some nagging areas of concern where things could have been better. What I am sure of, whatever I may find if I find any would not be able to take away any of the serious power of the film away for me. I may edit some bits here and there later, I'm half asleep as wrote this, but felt the urge to write it now.
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