Before shooting for Waar began, or Hamyun Saeed
had started work on Mein Hoon Shahid Afridi and Hamza Ali Abbasi was simply a
theatre-talent trying to make it as an independent film director, Shamoon
Abbasi had started working on Gidh; his latest film which is set to begin
shooting in February.
Shamoon Abbasi has never been one to take a back
seat, or take a break. Any time he completes a project, he is already looking
forward and thinking about how he can make an impact. One main aspect of his
multi-dimensional career has been his desire to direct.
“I have never wanted to just be a stagnant
actor, directing has always been my plan. I’ve always felt it was my
responsibility to stand-up, produce and deliver,” says Abbasi. The actor has
come a long way since he first entered the industry. While the success of Waar
may have made him a famous face, he has always made sure to have control over
the types of projects he works on.
“When I started out I had to struggle. I didn’t
have money or projects, I was trying to survive. That is what my journey has
mainly been about,” says Abbasi.
His directorial debut is something that he wants
to undertake on a large scale. Gidh (which mean vultures in Urdu) is an attempt
at making a commercial Pakistani film that maintains the sub-continent
aesthetic of glamour, music and scale. The film will be produced by Six Sigma
productions, which also produced Mein Hoon Shahid Afridi.
“The idea is to make a commercial film, not
necessarily in the monetary sense but visually. We have a lot of action films
which have touched upon issues of war and fundamentalism. The idea with Gidh is
to tackle a serious subject and replace that desire to produce Bollywood-style
films,” says Abbasi. “This will be totally Pakistani, and have a commercial
look with its glamorised feel.”
Gidh has been described as a film about a
well-known celebrity, who struggles with society at-large, through the media,
police and public. The theme will explore how one man is tested by the
challenges aiming to drag him down.
“I can’t really discuss the plot in detail, but
it’s about vultures in our society, and how a superstar is brought down by
people whose intents are dangerous,” says Abbasi.
Following the success of Waar, Gidh has expanded
its budget and will look to begin production by February. “I think it’s a good
thing that the release has been pushed because it has allowed us to get an idea
of what this new market is like, and gauge the reaction of the people,” says
Abbasi.
Shamoon has assembled an outstanding cast for
the project, including Mumbai-based actor Sara Loren, Humayun Saeed, Hamza Ali
Abbasi, himself, and two new female actors Sadia Khan and Kiran Tanveer. While
the film had originally been slated for an earlier release, it was delayed as
Abbasi and Humayun Saeed got caught up with other projects. Shamoon had also
interestingly tabbed Hamza Ali Abbasi to write the film before he became
famous, by complete chance.
The film will have an array of songs by
different directors such as Kamran Akhtar, who is known for his work with
Mahesh Bhatt in Bollywood. The film will be shot in Islamabad and Lahore, with
songs being shot in various scenic locations all over Pakistan. The background
score will be done by Amir Munawar and Hasil Qureshi, who also have Waar in
their repertoire.
Gidh will not have a lengthy production process;
the plan is to release the film by August 2014, meaning that the film will be
complete, from beginning to end, in eight months. Abbasi said he felt it was
important that film productions did not lag because of the hindered output of
the overall industry.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 10th, 2013.
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