Woo-hoo! SUCH a good movie! I really really hope it is either distributed more widely in the second week of theatrical distribution, or hits a major international streaming service.
This is one of those wonderful movies that hits the sweet spot of both universal and specific. It’s universal in that there is a good guy and bad guys and irritating villagers and the spicy love interest and all that great stuff. And it’s specific in that EVERYONE HAS KNIVES AND THE BLOOD JUST GUSHES AND GUSHES AND GUSHES.
Fawad is amazing, Mahira is amazing, that’s what we all care about the most. And they play the absolute opposite of their Humsafar characters to a degree that almost feels like an inside joke. The whole world is the opposite of Humsafar really. Everyone drinks, has sex, and beats people up in a dusty medieval feeling village removed totally from the rest of the world/reality. Just, so awesome.
What I really want to call out is the quality of the filmmaking. Little things like a moment when an overhead shot of the village fades into the texture of the door of a home, which is both a cool looking transition and a cool visual metaphor for how the village is the entrance to the home and vice versa. And there is an absolutely gorgeous surreal moment of singing thrown into the center of it. Acapella singing I think by the actual actors, not at all like the Indian style of film songs.
This is a remake of a cult classic film and uses dialogue from it. But the director previously made a smash hit action smash’em film, Waar. He took the style touches and added in the awesome dialogue and framed it all around a timeless universal story. Oh, plus some AWESOME radical progressive messages! All the women are into sex, no one talks about religion, like, ever, patriarchs are routinely disobeyed, and a female character is allowed to be smarter than all the men around her, oppressed, and also still ultimately evil. Oh, and class is stupid and entirely ignored. Everyone is equally dirty and gritty and drunk and all that, no nonsense about the nobility of the nobles or blech. Everyone is equally valuable too, sad little villagers get all the big fights and rescues. No princesses.
So, yes, if you have ANY way of watch it, you should go watch it. And if not, you should wait for my SPOILER review and then die of misery that you can’t see it for real, and write letters to Netflix begging them to buy it.
dontcallitbollywood 
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This is great to hear! Been seeing good reviews mostly. It’s been playing at only one place a bit far from me but I just saw Mahira post it’ll play at a nearer place from this Friday. Hoping to see it on the weekend!
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AHHH!!! I was really hoping you would watch and review this movie! I want to watch it so badly but it’s playing at a theater an hour away and I’m traveling for work again this week! I really really hope a major streaming service buys it so I can watch it! I can’t wait to read your spoiler review!
P.S. for all the Fawad fans out there, Fawad has three more projects lined up over the next year. Neelofar (home production that he is calling a simple romance with him and Mahira), Money Back Guarantee (a glossy bank heist series), and a series with Fawad and Sanam Saeed on Zee5, which I find strange but Fawad said it himself in a recent interview so I am going to take that as the truth.
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Wait, what is strange about the Fawad-Sanam series? We saw pictures from the shoot.
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It’s on an Indian platform with Pakistani actor as lead. Plus, it’s Zee, which I believe more on the conservative end of things. Given the current dynamics in India, I hope it is released without too much nonsense.
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I believe Khandaan podcast were wondering about the same thing a while back when they were streaming Chudails, another Pakistani show which got a lot of acclaim. Money trumps ideology I guess!
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That is so interesting. I looked into it a bit more and the same director that directed Churails and Cake is directing this new series with Fawad and Sanam.
I loved Cake! I haven’t gotten around to watching Churails yet because I’ve read that it’s very hard hitting but I might have to get around to it when I’m in the right head space. Have you seen it? What are your thoughts? Everyone I know who watched it has loved it but also mentioned that it is really hard to watch in some parts.
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Samesies! I liked Cake and though I heard good things about Chudails, I figured it’s too dark for me, so haven’t seen it. I have high hopes for this series though!
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Sounds fantastic!
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Ahhh! So jealous. It is not in my usual theater, now I will have to investigate if it is anywhere reachable. Also, thank you, filmikudhi for the good news. It’s been a bummer to be deprived of our favorite Pakistani starts during thee last few years.
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Watched and loved it! You’re bang on about the quality of filmmaking. I was amazed to learn that not only this is Bilal Lashari’s second film, but he is also the DOP! That’s got to be hard and pretty rare, right? All the actors were a treat. Super glad to see Fawad pull off this kind of role so well. I didn’t know he had that deep baritone in him, had to double-check at times that it was him speaking! Hamza I think naturally has that awesome voice and spoke the best Punjabi, I was mesmerized whenever he was on screen. I love that the women were so bold and unapologetic, was not expecting that. The way Mahira was so forward with Fawad, it was hot! Humaima was a revelation and as brutal as any of the Natt men. Favorite part was the song sequence, it was poignant and surreal. Also the pretty epic dance towards the end, before tragedy strikes.
I’m looking forward to going through your scene summaries. I might also see the film again! It’s nice to see it doing so well financially, they clearly had a grand vision and ambition and it’s paying off.
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Woo-hoo! Finally someone else has seen it! Can’t wait for your comments on my scene by scene. And yes, just SO well-made!
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I am living vicariously through you and Margaret! I am so glad and (slightly jealous) that you got to see this.
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It will play for some time, you can go and see it!
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Fun video of the cast playing charades. It’s silly but I like watching these to disassociate the actors from the characters, especially when they play really nasty ones, like the entire left half of this cast. Love how Fawad goes from 0 to 100 during the course of the game!
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This is SOOO cute! I just took a quick lunch break to watch this and was actually laughing out loud. I too love how Fawad went from 0 to 100 over the course of the charades! Also, while Fawad will always be my number 1 crush and I would never cheat on him, I couldn’t help but notice that Hamsa really really good looking!
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Oh Hamza is definitely crushworthy in the film, if you can ignore his psychopathy! He is styled the best and you have to hear his voice, I was seduced by it! He also brings the humor and I think has the best dialogues.
Fawad is literally jumping around like a kid at the end! Also Hamza is really good at guessing. I like how they all kind of bully Bilal, makes sense as they’re all around the same age. Here’s another one of Fawad and Hamza –
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I am literally waiting for it to be released in India, at least on an OTT platform. Sad me! 😦
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