There’s
been a lot of hue and cry about the decline of Pakistani cinema, but with a
number of feature films under production and a lot of TV directors switching to
films, the situation is expected to drastically change and the industry may get
its much-needed overhaul. Here is a list of all those projects which are
currently under production.
Faisal Aman Khan
Faisal Aman
Khan, an independent film-maker who is based in the UK, is directing Kaptaan, a
biographical film about the life of Pakistani politician, social worker and
former cricketer Imran Khan. Although TOI reported that the film was in
post-production stage in 2011, its release date has been moved from February to
fall.
Jaami
Music
director Jamshed Mahmood Ansari, better known as Jaami, has impressed us lately
with his work. From “Mein Tou Dekhoonga” to “Bum Phatta”, Jaami has come at par
with the likes of Saqib Malik, who is one of the most established directors of
Pakistan but hasn’t been contributing to the music video scenario lately.
Jaami, who
has slowly and gradually come to the fore by directing music videos, is all set
to make his own film. Unlike most film-makers, who are known to keep their
films consistently in the “pre-production phase”, Jaami has already completed
one spell of his shoot and the director, along with his crew members, was seen
last winter shooting in Muslim Bagh, a place near Quetta. Rumour has it that
the second spell of the shoot is about to begin and filming locations are
spread out all over Pakistan. We have very high expectations from Jaami.
Yasir Nawaz and Ismail Jilani
Chameli is
the brainchild of Ismail Jillani, who has worked for a leading private channel
earlier and produced famous documentaries and shows like “George Ka Pakistan”
and Yasir Nawaz, who recently made Bhaag Amina Bhaag. For now, we don’t exactly
know what to expect from the duo but one thing is for sure, the film will be a
commercial venture.
Nadeem Mandviwalla
Nadeem
Mandviwalla, who is the owner of Mandviwalla Entertainment, which is
responsible for some of the key cinemas in the country and distributes films
throughout Pakistan, is now producing a film which is being funded by the Inter
Services Public Relations (ISPR). It revolves around the life of one of
Pakistan Army’s martyrs. Although the name of the director is not confirmed
yet, one expects hordes of people walking into cinemas when a name like
Mandviwalla is involved.
Humayun Saeed
With a CV
that boasts walking the ramps for top designers, acting in several dramas,
featuring in various commercials, and owning one of the most noticeable drama
production companies in Pakistan, the last thing left for Humayun Saeed to do
is to make a film. And he’s doing just that with Main Hun Shahid Afridi that
revolves around a boy’s struggles in his journey to become a cricketer. The
script has been written by well-known TV writer Vasay Chaudhry and will be
directed by Osama Ali Raza.
Iram Parveen Bilal
Iram
Parveen Bilal, who shares her name with that of Bollywood actor Kareena
Kapoor’s character in Agent Vinod, has wrapped up the shoot of her film Josh.
The film stars model Aaminah Sheikh and RJ and actor Khalid Malik amongst many
others and should release. In the past, Bilal took her last short film Poshak
to different exhibitions and festivals around the world and brought Pakistan a
lot of fame.
Bilal Lashari and Bodhicitta Film Works
Enough has
already been said about Bilal Lashari’s Waar and the consistent changes and
delays to the final release date of the film has only amped up the audiences’
anticipation. On other hand, Bodhicitta Film Works, which is a company that
released the teaser of Kolachi but vanished into thin air afterwards, has
announced that it is set to release Seedlings. The film, which is expected to
be released soon, stars TV actor Mohib Mirza and Aaminah Sheikh. Selected
scenes from the films were screened at the recently held Zab Media Festival.
Other projects
Apart from
many fresh film graduates who are working on their own feature films, two
leading choreographers of Pakistan are all set to release their own feature
films as well. Take for instance Joshinder Chaggar, who has recently finalised
the script of her film. The film will be directed by Etheshamuddin, who has
directed Perfume Chowk in the past. However, no dates have been finalised as
yet. On the other hand, director Nasir Tehrany, who works for Hum TV and the
owner of Manduck Productions, is working on a film called Naach. The cast
includes Pakistani film star Shaan and many other leading names of the
industry.
Published
in The Express Tribune, May 16th, 2012.
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