The much anticipated Allahyar and the Legend of Markhor released on February 2 nationwide. Directed and written by Uzair Zaheer Khan, the movie is set on a journey of a young boy who embarks on a quest with a squad of endangered animals in Pakistan.
Produced by the 3rd World Studios, the story revolves around a nature-loving young school boy Allahyar, voiced by Anum Zaidi, who embarks on a journey and helps a markhor named Mehru (Natasha Humera Ejaz) reach home, while running away from an eccentric poacher and a hunter, Mani (Ali Noor) and his sidekick Uncle Bablu (Arieb Azhar).
The team behind this film deserves applause for picturing the scenic beauty of northern Pakistan with some remarkable connections to a small city life including local shops, houses and the like. With a spectacular visual quality, viewers feel connected to the animated characters through relatable facial expressions depicting their emotions.
Besides Allahyar, who is the main character of the story, animators have marvelously built the story around other prominent animals characters that include Pakistan's national bird, national animal along with endangered species.
Besides all the amazing animation, the film also did not fail to deliver some short yet amazing musical pieces. The most captivating score was Zohaib Hasan's famous 1982 track 'Muskuraye Ja' sung by Natasha Humera Ejaz. Coupled with beautiful animation, the song was perfect.
This film is one that needs not to be missed at all. Allahyar and Markhor is not just for the children but also for adults. It would stir you into action, and would make you begin to care more not just about the nature, but also endangered animals.
It was obvious why it will remain one of the most memorable stories for children for many years. This film has already set high standards in a country where the industry for feature-length animations is still evolving.
Here's hoping the entire team of Allahyar and the Legend of Markhor comes up with more adventurous animations.