The First Egyptian suspense-thriller film is all set to release in Pakistani cinemas in Urdu on 18 January 2019. Starring an excellent and talented cast Tarek Lotfi, Ahmed Daoud, Amina Khalil, Ahmed Al-Fishawi, Mohammad Lutfi, Mohammed Mamdouh, Jihane Khalil and many more.
The movie is about struggling to survive a deadly night where Nasr (Ahmed Dawood) and Omneya (Amina Khalil) unfortunately get trapped while going on a work trip. Will they be able to come back safe and alive?
The story
Rani Padmavati (Deepika Padukone) – the wife of Maharawal Ratan Singh (Shahid Kapoor), is known for her beauty and valor in 13th century India. She captures the fancy of the reigning Sultan of Delhi, the tyrant Alauddin Khilji (Ranveer Singh), who becomes obsessed with her and goes to great lengths to fulfill his greed.
The review
Based on a Sufi poem of the same name written in 1540 by Malik Muhammad Jayasi, Sanjay Leela Bhansali has added his own flair and interpretation to ‘Padmaavat’, giving it a fairy-tale sheen. This makes all the controversy pointless, and pale in comparison to the spectacle that unfolds. Bhansali reunites with two of his favorite leads in recent times – Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, but adds Shahid Kapoor to complete this trio of commendable acting talent.
Shahid is steadfast and unflappable as Maharawal Ratan Singh – the ruler of Mewar, brimming with Rajput pride. He brings a regal aura to the character that warrants him winning the confidence and loyalty of the Mewar kingdom and more importantly, Rani Padmavati’s heart. Deepika is radiant as the Rajput Queen whose beauty, brains and valor moves the entire plot along once Alauddin Khilji becomes obsessed with her. Padmavati’s allure beyond the superficial is prominent post-interval, when her character comes to life and she gets to showcase her acting range.
Ranveer as Alauddin Khilji is seen as an unhinged, barbaric Sultan, who is consumed with a ravenous libido for power and flesh. He unleashes an animal magnetism on screen with a scarred face, kohl-lined eyes and a greased torso. The scenes between him and Shahid are some of the most engrossing, as both flex their acting muscles at opposite ends of the moral spectrum.
Besides them, Aditi Rao Hydari stands her ground as the naive Mehrunissa who gets a rude awakening when she discovers her husband Alauddin’s true nature. Jim Sarbh is somewhat misplaced as the Sultan’s slave-general, unable to generate enough menace to overshadow his master’s own. Nonetheless, the ensemble moves well in tune with Bhansali’s vision of this larger-than-life retelling.
The director’s expertise in heightening opulence and grandeur is well-known, further distinct in 3D. Cinematographer Sudeep Chatterjee compliments him by beautifully capturing some jaw-dropping scenery. However, the effects in the action/ war scenes don’t meet the expectations raised by a film of this scale. Also, the songs don’t do much to further the narrative other than providing visual delight. Granted, it could do with a tauter screenplay and shorter run-time but ‘Padmaavat’ is an entertaining, large canvas experience, brought to life with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s stroke of visual brilliance.
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has a perfect gift for his fans at the beginning of this year. King Khan’s upcoming release is Anand R Lai’s dream project, Zero which stars Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma in titular roles.
Looking at the teaser, we can say that the film looks quite promising. Zero will see Shah Rukh Khan portray the role of a dwarf, or as the makers like to call it – vertically challenged.
It is speculated that SRK will have a double role in the film and Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma will be seen playing the love interests.
In one of her interviews, Katrina Kaif had earlier said, “It wasn’t about the space or the VFX. Honestly, Anand sir has been discussing this film with me for the last two years. It was originally titled Katrina Meri Jaan, which is probably why people keep asking me if I’m playing myself in the film.”
King Khan had a sweet Twitter conversation with Anushka and Aanand before revealing the title.
Judwaa 2 is a comedy-action movie directed by David Dhawan which is a reboot of the movie Judwaa, the film stars Varun Dhawan playing twins Raja and Prem opposite Taapsee Pannu and Jacqueline Fernandez. It is produced by Nadiadwala & Grandson Entertainment, Judwaa 2 was released last Friday.
Prem and Raja are twin siblings who get separated at birth however are exceptionally associated with each other by means of their reflexes. They rejoin as grown-ups and set out to bring down the underground smuggling world. They are isolated at birth by a smuggler, Charles who kidnaps Raja. The nerd Prem experiences childhood in all luxurious environment in London with his parents, the Malhotras; energetic Raja discovers his home in a fisherman’s area. Obviously, when the twins’ ways cross, there’s an excess of fun.
David Dhawan has made so many comedy movies with a lot of success. Here, he gives you a rebooted adaptation of his 1997 comic-trick of a similar name. The prior one had Salman Khan and now this one has Varun Dhawan his own son. It helps that the leading hero has an enormous fan following. Also, he is seen by those enlightened into Hindi standard film as a mix of Govinda and Salman, both of whom dragged away their tacky nature with an explicit spark. Varun doesn’t let you down either. Regardless of whether he is playing a nerd or a gangster, he is completely charming and conveys exactly what his dad orders him to.
The script of this movie is a mix of similar jokes acquired from Manmohan Desai films. The sidekick stammers, the hero repeats lines from different masala films, the villain gets blankness when hit by a coconut, a football butt enables his memory to return, and so on. It’s essentially innocent fun intended to pander the child in you. Lame songs, noisy jokes and young beautiful ladies never truly hurt anybody. Trust me, at a certain point, you’re enticed to join Varun when he is doing those impeccable pelvic pushes. Salman Khan also comes at the end with his cameo role.
Judwaa 2 managed exceptionally well on its day 1 gathering 16.10 crores. There was no looking back for the film from the starting point. It got 20.55 crores and 22.60 crores on Saturday and Sunday taking the aggregate of first end of the week to 59.25 crores. It gathered 18 crores on this Monday, proving a sublime trend in the cinematic world. The movie now stands high with the excellent aggregate of 92.02 crores.
The Emoji Movie is an upcoming American 3D computer-animated comedy film written and directed by Tony Leondis and co-written by Eric Siegel and Mike White.
Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, the film is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 28, 2017, by Columbia Pictures with a total runtime of 86 minutes.
The director Leondis reveals how he came up with the idea of producing a film based around emojis. He says he had always been inspired by the Toy Story and wondered what other toy there is in the world that the people are attracted to and curious about? Whilst he was contemplating he received a text with an emoji and bang there it was- he got the idea to base a film around emojis. He identifies with the main character in the film Gene who is different from other emojis just like himself-Leondis was gay and so out of the ordinary!
Gene lives with his emoji fellows in the bustling city of Textapolis hidden in the messaging app of your phone. Each emoji wished to be used by the phone user. All emojis are alike except Gene who wishes to be like the others. In the emoji world all emojis have just one expression but Gene is born without a filter and can produce multiple expressions. In the quest to become normal like other emojis Gene seeks the help of his friend Hi-5 and the notorious emoji Jailbreak who is a code breaker. Together they go from app to app in search of the code that will fix Gene but when the life of the phone is put in danger so is the life of the emojis and the fate of the emojis depends upon the trio who must do something quick before their world is deleted forever.
A very unique idea that is very is familiar to the IT related world we live in today! A film that will serve as an inspiration for all upcoming directors who wish to make animated films! Great work done!
Rating 7.3/10
Directed by Malcolm D Lee and written by Erica Rivinoja, Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver, Girls Trip is an American comedy with a run time of 122 minutes. It hit theatres on the 21st of July 2017. Starring Regina Hall (Ryan Pierce), Queen Latifa (Sasha Franklin), Jadda Pinkett Smith (Lisa Cooper) and Tiffany Haddish (Dina) are four childhood friends who plan to meet up in an effort to reconnect.
The plot centres around four lifelong friends who plan a reunion at New Orleans for the Annual Essence music festival. Together they experience many emotions and undergo many adventures. They do wild things, they party, drink, take wrong decisions and in experiencing all this, their bond of sisterhood and friendship is strengthened. What is different about the film is that the women are black women and not white like the so many other chick flicks that have been shot. The central idea it brings forward is that women can have as much fun as men and it shuns the inequality between the two genders.
It’s pleasantly amusing and sometimes extremely funny with the girls behaving naughty and playing the devil. It is similar to the recent film “Rough Night” which too revolves around a similar theme of childhood friends getting together after a long time but with endings that are poles apart.
Ryan is a successful writer and she seems to have the perfect life with her husband who is also the epitome of perfection but there is something missing! As she gets an opportunity to go to New Orleans she invites her friends Sasha, Lisa and Dina. Sasha is a celebrity gossip blogger who hides her failings behind a happy steely face. Lisa who is a single mom, misses having a love life. Dina was fired from her job because she is unaware of the problems she causes around her. As they reunite they discover things they had never come across before.
The film is a great watch as it focuses on the relationship between the girls more and explores it in detail. With a different theme and a comedy that is classy it is worth a watch!
IMDB rating: 8.2
Spider Man- Homecoming directed by Jon Watts, written by Jonathon Goldstein and starring Tom Holland (Peter Parker), Micheal Keaton (Vulture), Robert Downey (Tony Stark) is a combination of adventure, action, drama, sci-fi and fantasy.
Tom Holland is a 15-year-old who gains spider-like abilities after being bitten by a genetically-modified spider. He made his debut in Captain America: Civil War, and is now Peter Parker who with the help of his mentor Tony Stark, tries to balance his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens, New York City while fighting crime as his superhero alter ego Spider-Man as a new threat, the Vulture, emerges.
Peter, having had a taste of full-on super heroism, is back to being an ordinary, not terribly popular high-schooler in Queens. Well, not quite ordinary. He still has his superpowers, the high-tech suit with which Stark outfitted him, and a desire to fight crime.
Peter lives with his Aunt Maya (Marisa Tomei) and is thrilled by his newfound identity. However, he does not realize that in playing Spider Man what he values most and what is most important to him is at stake and will be lost.
According to a critic: “Spider-Man: Homecoming is a Marvel superhero film done in the style of Tom Sawyer or Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, one of the liveliest characters in last year’s Captain America: Civil War, now has an entire movie devoted to him – one with plenty of youthful snap and crackle.”
And the latest news is of Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel that is already scheduled for July 5, 2019 and Tom Holland recently confirmed a third film is also in the works! So if you like super hero films then don’t miss any of the Spider Man movies!
Release Date: Feb 10, 2017
Director: Haissam Hussain
Rating: (8.3/10)
CAST: Osman Khalid Butt, Ainy Jaffri, Sadaf Kanwal, Zeeshan Ali, Durdana Butt, Shafqat Cheema, Adeel Hashmi, Khurram Pataras & Javed Sheikh
Balu Mahi is another feather in the cap of Pakistani cinema! Good cinematography, beautiful locations surely add up to the director’s creative tilt. The story moves along a young guy (Balu) crashing into the wrong wedding ceremony pouring his heart out to a complete stranger where the bride (Mahi) was eagerly waiting for an opportunity to escape her marriage. Together they bond and the chase begins. The plot invited a lot of criticism calling it a re-make of Bollywood’s ‘Jab we met’, but looks like it is surviving so far on the silver screen, despite some poor acting especially by the female lead.
The technicalities, such as editing is not flawless, compact shots are missing, there are many dragged scenes, making it a point of critique. But perfection comes with time especially when it comes to Pakistani cinema. The plot tests the audiences’ patience especially in the second half, but the debut leads Osman and Ainy whose performances though requiring lots to make it worthy of good cinema, still manages to make it entertaining. Romantic comedy tropes are in full swing which makes it typical Pakistani!
Ainy and Osman marked their ways by creating a wonderful chemistry on screen paired with absorbing emotional scenes and dancing to the groovy songs. Sadaf as the naughty, ‘Sharmeen’ does justice to her seductive character (again the acting required so much more polishing). Durdana Butt as the hilarious Dado, Shafqat Cheema as the dominating, ill tempered Chaudhry and Mustafa being the dopey guy all work well. Javaid Sheikh and Hina Rizvi appear for just one sequence but make it the funniest part of the movie. The acting by the experienced actors was superbly executed.
The music was well composed and choreographed, apart from the title song which did not sync well. The song “Rang De Chunar” by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was a big hit and took a million hearts with the its melodious tune and Ainy’s ravishing look. The director, Haissam did a commendable job minus a few sequences which had a greater potential that remained unexplored. But if tiny errors are ignored, the movie surely is a treat to watch.
We remained puzzled over the fact that the costumes and wardrobe of the leads was so lackluster. With very little effort, the styling, clothes, accessories, jewellery etc could have been taken at the stunner level, given the high quality of Pakistani designer outfits and the numerous highly talented makeup artists and stylists. But minus the first wedding scene where jewellery and clothes are beautiful, the rest of the film is a total disappointment, especially the dance number! Yet here we are feeling a great deal of pride to see how Pakistani cinema is progressing and we hope to see much bigger feats accomplished pretty soon.
Pakistani actor/producer Humayun Saeed has confirmed that the talented Mehwish Hayat will be seen opposite him in his upcoming movie production Punjab Nahin Jaongi. The pair first got together for 2015’s blockbuster hit Jawani Phir Nahin Ani, which was followed by 2016’s biggest television serial success so far, Dillagi. Both actors have become fan favourites for their great on-screen chemistry and acting chops.
Anjum Shahzad’s Mah-e-Mir becomes the fourth Pakistani film to be submitted for Oscar consideration in the in the ‘Foreign Language Film Award’ category. The first being Zinda Bhaag followed by Dukhtar and Moor.
Mah e Mir starring Fahad Mustafa, Iman Ali, Sanam Saeed and Aly Khan is based on the struggle of a contemporary poet who endures the pain of pure love, separation and poverty that eventually leads to madness where he discovers the 18th century poet Mir Taqi Mir. Fahad Mustafa showcases extreme love, desire and creative madness of Mir.
Pakistan’s Academy Selection Committee led by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy shortlisted the movie through secret balloting by its members.
Anjum Shehzad is thrilled by this news “We are proud to be a part of this film and thank the committee for recognizing our efforts and considering it worthy of represention at the Academy Awards”