1. Ehteshamuddin:
The theatre actor and director, who has also
tried his hand at television, is definitely the highlight of Chambaili. He is a
perfect fit for his role at Musa, the idealist journalist-poet who leads his
friends to stand up against an influential politician and his son.
2. Dialogues:
Extremely well-written lines, particularly for
Ehteshamuddin, are really the icing on the cake. The Urdu is crisp and clear,
unlike the terrible language we hear on TV nowadays. There is no mixing with
English, neither is there the Bollywood influence. The dialogues are so good
that they manage to make an impression even with Shahzad Nawaz’s sub-par
acting.
3. Pro-democracy:
Although the film is certainly a little soft on
the military and its role in Pakistani politics, I would disagree that
Chambaili is anti-democracy. In fact, in its essence, the film is thoroughly
pro-democracy as it urges the viewers to do nothing more than exercise a civic,
political duty: vote.
4. Message of pluralism:
The main analogy in the film is Prophet Moses
(RA) and Pharaoh and one of the main characters is quite clearly Shia. In the
end, the new president specifically addresses all Pakistanis, who are shown
praying in a church, a gurudwara as well as a Hindu temple. Secondly, on the
wall where Maira Khan’s character has put up framed pictures of all the
revolutionaries of the world, Gandhi’s photograph is prominently displayed.
5. No preaching:
Overall, Chambaili is a great, great film that
successfully transmits a very strong message without being preachy. The film
manages to be patriotic without being jingoistic.
6. Clever making:
Full credit to producers Shahzad Nawaz and
Abdullah Kadwani, and director Ismail Jilani for the brilliant idea of setting
the film in a mythical country called Mulk-e-Khudadad (Country given by God).
The country has an uncanny resemblance to Pakistan, but since it isn’t
Pakistan, the makers were able to say everything and anything about the
country.
7. Kiran:
The character, played by Maira Khan, is one of
my favourite parts about the film. She is known as a true, strong idealist who
says it as it is and refuses to back down when her brothers/male family members
are contemplating calling off their strike. She is the one who stands up for
what’s right and is the epitome of the strength of a woman. Through her
character, the film reaches out to women in a way that few other films do –
even in Bollywood.
8. A well-integrated plot:
For a film that touches upon such a vast number
of issues, Chambaili is very well-paced and all the issues weave in coherently
to form a strong plot, without making the film a drag.
9. It’s a Pakistani product through and through:
Have you ever complained about why Pakistanis
cannot make good films? Well, here’s your chance to be part of something that
could spell the revival of indigenous Pakistani cinema.
10. Better than what else is available:
Aashiqui 2 and Oblivion are just bad, bad films.
Your money will be better spent on Chambaili.
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