BACHAANA Movie -Sanam S & Mohib - Premier & Reviews frm pg. 10 - Page 9

KARACHI: It wouldn't be wrong to say that Nasir Khan's directorialBachaana has all the elements that our film industry was craving for in its year-long quest for revival.

Shot in the picturesque location of Mauritius, the plot of Sanam Saeed, Mohib Mirza and Adeel Hashmi starrer will keep you hooked every single second. No exaggeration.

Sanam and Mohib weave their magic through comedy, romance and thrill without overshadowing each other's acting prowess. Which makes it all the more difficult to say who has an edge over the other, but it definitely marks a great film debut for Sanam. Apart from these two, Adeel's never-seen-before avatar took us by surprise.

We give you six reasons why you need to grab tickets to Bachaana, a film which is bound to be a blockbuster:

1. It's not a typical story:

Recent releases have shown some done-to-death storylines; henceBachaana is definitely a sight to sore eyes. With subtle hints of Bollywood, the film revolves around an Indian Muslim girl Alia (Sanam) who takes the help of a Pakistani taxi driver, Waqas aka Vicky (Mohib), in her quest to return home and no, it's not a rip off of Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

*SPOILER ALERT*

Alia tries to escape from her criminal husband Jahangir Rizvi aka J (Adeel). It's not a typical boy-meets-girl story either, although they do fall in love after the dramatic chase and hunt episode.

2. It's not your regular dose of slapstick comedy:

Sanam and Mohib showed their knack for comedy with pitch perfect timing. Their one-liners left audience in splits on most occasions as the duo added a dash of humour in intense situations.

3. It tends to break Indo-Pak barriers:

For once, a film projects both Pakistan and India in a positive light. It tends to break preconceived notions by realising each other's common grounds. The makers maintain decency in Sanam's character as an Indian girl and at the same time show her respect towards Pakistanis as she explores more about Mohib's character.

For instance, when Vicky asks Alia why he should help her? She says,"Kyun ke tum Pakistani ho aur Pakistani larkay, larkiyon ko akela nahi chhortey."

In another interesting scene, Alia claims that she is Shahid Afridi's fan, not Mahendra Singh Dhoni's. And who can forget Vicky's heoric line, "Larki Pakistani ho ya Hindustani, larki larki hoti hai."

4. It sets an example for girl power:

Bachaana defies clichd gender roles. Alia is not a damsel-in-distress dependent on Vicky to save her life. She marks her presence in every scene with equal, and at times more, action. She is smart, knows how to defend herself and is everything a modern-day girl can relate to.

5. It marks Adeel Hashmi's comeback

Although, he continues to tickle our funny bone in TV commercials, the actor has been missing from serials and films for some time now. It was good to see him make a comeback with Bachaana, but it was quite surprising to see him in a negative role.

Adeel took a break from his signature comic avatar and our hearts ached to accept him as the evil J. It might take some time to recover now.

6. Above all, it's NOT a drag!

If you weren't convinced so far, this alone should be reason enough to watch the film. It's a good entertainment package that wraps up a long story in almost two hours. With three tracks and good cinematography, the film maintains its plot with predictable yet unpredictable twists and turns without dragging it.

The lead cast, Mohib Mirza, Sanam Saeed and Adeel Hashmi, deserve a round of applause for turning a simple story into a hilariously entertaining journey.

Mohib Mirza, Sanam Saeed and Adeel Hashmi shine in the unpretentious Bachaana

Karachi:Premiering in Karachi after a good showing in UAE and Lahore, Bachaana, a rom-com film that brings television and theatre darling Sanam Saeed to the big screen for the first time, alongside Mohib Mirza and Adeel Hashmi, lives up to expectations, mostly.

Funny, light and unpretentious, it's a clean and simple film that surprises you because of its quick-wit humour, lush green landscapes and three fabulous actors. But first let's talk a bit about the premiere in Karachi which felt slightly overcrowded as an eager audience arrived in anticipation and jumped at the chance of watching the film with its cast in the audience.

As for the film itself, Bachaana rides on the coattails of its actors who take a simple, perhaps too simple a story and run with it and turn it into a hilarious journey. Our story begins in Mauritius where Vicky (Mohib Mirza), a Pakistani national lives and works as a taxi driver. He runs into Alia, an Indian girl, and Jehangir at the airport and gives them a ride to the hotel. A nefarious knock on the door, a bag full of illicit drugs and Alia's happy journey quickly turns into a nasty affair as she relies on this friendly taxi driver to help her. What happens next... that's for you to find it.

There are plenty of reasons why Bachaana works. First off is the cast and they are an exceptional bunch. Mohib Mirza as a Pakistani taxi driver stands out because the quick-wit humour has to be matched with the right emotions and facial expressions. Mohib brings conviction and believability to the role. He takes the character of Vicky and transforms it into a hero (no, not the Raja Hindustani OTT melodrama) you can root for. Star of the show, Mirza's performance is one that should fetch him meatier roles in the future. His comfort level in front of the camera is remarkable.

Adeel Hashmi's comical past is left far behind as he stars as the menacing Jehangir. With few dialogues, it's Adeel's ominous demanour, cold dead eyes and an eerie twist of the neck that knocks it out of the park. Though the role is a supporting one, Adeel Hashmi takes every scene and challenges your pre-conceived notions about him. This is damn smart casting. Props to Nasir Khan for making the call.

Sanam Saeed as the playful, talkative and ultimately innocent Alia is very, very good. In some places, you can sense hesitancy, a certain nervousness but Saeed camouflages it well throughout this film. She lands almost as many jokes as Vicky, which is a feat in itself. The Indo-Pak jokes and the banter between Vicky and Alia are the heart of this film. In fact, the first half sales by like a breeze.

And because Bachaana is shot entirely in Mauritius, it uses the location to a sharp advantage. Every frame is lush and beautiful. The camera work, in particular, deserves applause because Bachaana is not shot like a television serial. The climax in particular, is shot with style.

Bachaana has an identity, one that tells you that the colourful, neighbouring world of Bollywood is not an inspiration and there are no tacky item songs.

The film has some imperfections: the music is forgettable except for the title track which is thumping fun. SYMT's Koi Labda' is misused because the Coke Studio version of the same track (which also features Sanam Marvi alongside Haroon Shahid) is infinitely superior to the version used in the film.

The plot is too straightforward, especially the climax, which almost feels anti-climatic. But these are faults that can be overlooked because the overall product is, in the end, good. You don't encounter product placement nor do you encounter a narrative that is regressive. Why does Alia need someone to save her? Within the context of the film, you realize that it's a response to her situation. In a strange, foreign land where she has no command over the language, relying on a stranger makes complete sense. In the end, Bachaana works because they both save each other. And in cinematic terms, there's nothing wrong with that.

#Bachaana Day One Business Early Estimates :: Excellent

Mohib & Sanam on Sitaray ki Subha promoting #Bachaana.

In this age of revival of Pakistani cinema, numerous attempts (most successful) have been made to make the industry come to a level when people would say that Pakistan is not lacking behind when it comes to pure entertainment and full on paisa wasool cinematic experience. Bachaana is surely an amazing effort of taking Pakistani cinema to the next level.

With heavy breathing and cameras all flashing, Bachaana gives a thrilling start to the audience. The movie opens up with a tensed image of two people running on the roads for their survival. Right from the beginning, it gives a feeling that it is going to be something different from the usual!

Let's have a critical insight towards Bachaana's technicalities and other features!!

Script

The only flaw which Bachaana had was Saad Azhar's some-what weak script at times. Sometimes we compare the plot with Bajrangi Bhaijaan and movies that had an Indo-Pak love story. However, the creators have saved this film with astounding presentation, direction, locations, star appearances, and music. In a short hand form, the movie was well executed and well presented which evokes a scintillating feel in Bachaana.

Direction

For me, it was one of the best directorial debuts that has been made in Pakistan. Nasir Khan's first try was mind blowing as he has the expertise to show things with great impact. Few of the normal scenes were made special and very attractive by the help of right angles and shots. There were times when I had my 'wow moments' just because I didn't expect those very minor scenes to be so exhilarating. There was a sequence when Aalia and Vicky were running through the jungle and the director showed a top view image of the scene which makes the visuals very impressive and captivating. Moreover, I loved the way Koi Labda and Yaari were pictured where the camera seemed to be playing with the characters' inner emotions and feels. Kudos to Khan's hands-down directorial sense.

Cinematography

This is one of the few times we have had beautiful foreign locations in a Pakistani movie, adding another plus point. Mauritius is a heavenly place, but Nasir Khan has portrayed it with exceptional visual techniques and camera work. The movie's beginning locations and a few other scenes, especially the one in the song Yaari when Aalia and Vicky walked down the aisle of beautiful orchid trees; it was very dream-like.

Music

Bachaana has only three songs, but they were very well utilized in between the scenes and separately as well. The best one, and my personal favorite, was Koi Labda by Coke Studio fame band SYMT. Koi Labda gives a reality check kind of feel with its mind capturing lyrics and vocals. The situation of the song in the film was also very relatable and makes you connect with it even more. Yaari, another song sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan, was a step to evoke a romantic feel among the viewers. The third song, which is also the title track, wasBachaana by Indian singer, Benny Dayal, and was also a superb composition to lift the mood.

One more thing that I have to mention is the movie's background score. Credit must be given to Ali Sher for that ultimate, spiced up, and moving background score, that fit perfectly on each situation in the film.

Performances

Let's discuss the performances now!! Bachaana is an amalgamation of three super talented actors; Mohib Mirza, Sanam Saeed, and last, but not the least, Adeel Hashmi. Mirza and Saeed with their spontaneity, brought soul to the characters of Vicky and Aalia. Their situational comic moments and natural responses towards their circumstances make us love them till the end. But the screen stealer was surely Adeel Hashmi who, may not have much dialogues in the movie, but his expressions and tough looks said it all.

Final Verdict

Bachaana a is romantic, lighthearted, and a good time pass film, and you can definitely watch it more than once. It doesn't have item numbers or much un-needed masala stuff, but it definitely offers you a decent and an enjoyable watch. Moreover through Bachaana, the makers have tried to convey a lovely message of Indo-Pak harmony and prosperity despite other political inconveniences between the two countries. So as a whole, it holds many advantages for the audiences and a few loop holes which can remain unnoticed.

Review: Bachaana is a big slice of highly palatable cheese

The latest addition to the nascent and blooming Pakistani film scene is brisk and bouncy flick that has largely and rightly been received as an airy little delight by audiences. What this uncomplicated film is supposed to do, it does. It has a clear identity and leaves people feeling exactly the way it wanted them to feel - sprightly with a spring in their step. Bachaana is a big slice of highly palatable cheese.

This film is all about its two main characters - Vicky and Alia. They are the ones the audience depends on to get what they need. It is from them we achieve that escapism from our own lives and into theirs. We get caught up in that fantasy, and use it as a reference point to circle back to ours. The adventures we crave, the moments we may have fallen in love, and the ways in which we may want to.

The film is touted as a thriller but the plot often fades to background. We are essentially riding along these lovebirds' adventure, rooting for them - while fixated on the way they are with each other, and how they deal with each unfolding situation. Mohib Mirza and Sanam Saeed are magnetic in the way they look, speak and move. The characters are melodramatic and filmy but they become familiar quickly.

They somehow acquire depth despite the whimsical nature of the film. This is a difficult thing to accomplish, and is an ode to their talent. Sanam Saeed has proven her versatility time and again by migrating across mediums - theatre, television dramas, teleplays and indie films. This time she lights up the silver screen. She is foxy, bewitching and commands our attention with every glance and quip.

There is a rousing pace to the movie that works to facilitate the delivery of its overall intention.While the script may lack a polished plot, it makes up for it in witty dialogue. Bachaana is a bona fide hoot. Without giving away too much, there are a few scenes in particular which account for chuckles that linger several moments beyond. When Vicky negotiates his visa, is forced to question the nature of a woman's relationship with Alia's husband, and when the two find themselves in a cabin of a spooky, knife sharpening woodsman.

There has been a lot of talk about this film offering a message of Indo-Pak harmony. If it does accomplish that, it does so in its comedy - not through direct references, but by reminding us of a common thread; a sense of humour shared amongst folks living across this divided subcontinent.

The film has been subject to some criticism mainly on account of a generic script and story. Though it is far from perfect in the way that it is edited and written, Bachaana is a step forward and outward for the film industry in Pakistan. It has expanded the scope of what filmmakers believe what they are licensed to do - that they are not constricted by predisposed notions of what qualifies as high-brow cinema. It is this platform of freedom from where true originality and greatness will blossom in the future.

Bachaana is a film that embodies the potential for diversity in this industry. The message to all budding filmmakers in Pakistan is that you are free to make your romcoms and action thrillers - your Big Lebowski, Die Hard, and Pretty Woman - something no one has ever seen before.

There is no reason to be boxed in because it is a young industry representing the ascent of a country that has become rather sensitive to its image. This is a movie disguised as one we have seen over and over again. But within it there are fresh personalities and original, clever conversations.

So far the movie has got an overwhelmingly positive response; not at all on the basis of some indiscriminate nationalist pride. All people really want is to feel something when they watch a movie. Not everyone does. But if most do, the movie has done its job. Stanley Kubrick said it more eloquently: "A film is - or should be - more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme - what's behind the emotion, and the meaning - all that comes later."

Being a westernised brat, I have seen perhaps only a handful of Bollywood or Pakistani movies in my lifetime. But based on this experience, I'm going to make it a point to watch more of what is coming out of Pakistan. I left the film lighter on my feet than when Icame in, and that is exactly what Bachaana is trying to impart.