A rendition of the Dracula tale with many similarities to the British 1950s Dracula.A rendition of the Dracula tale with many similarities to the British 1950s Dracula.A rendition of the Dracula tale with many similarities to the British 1950s Dracula.
Yasmeen Shaukat
- Shirin
- (as Yasmeen)
Deeba Begum
- Shabnam
- (as Deeba)
Habibur Rehman
- Aqil's Brother
- (as Habib)
Asad Bukhari
- Dr. Aqil Harker
- (as Asad)
Munawar Zarif
- Guy at Nightclub
- (as Munwar Zarif)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWas almost banned from release because the censors felt it was too vulgar.
- GoofsIn the beginning of the movie, Dr. Aqil and later his brother, with no prior experience of or information about vampires, know exactly how to kill one.
- Crazy credits"adopted from the novel by Bram Stoker"
- ConnectionsFeatured in Zibahkhana (2007)
- SoundtracksGranada
Written by Agustín Lara
Featured review
Introducing: Professor Tabani (a.k.a Count Dracula)
Here is an oddity if ever there was one: A 'Dracula' film from Pakistan, one of the few horror films ever attempted in the country, and certainly the first and most famous. In this variation on Stoker's novel, the count is actually a scientist (quasi-mad, perhaps) seeking the elixir of life, a potion that would defy death. But from here on, all similarities to The Fountain end, when the good doc (Professor Tabani to you, dear) not only succeeds in making the life-up soda, he proceeds to drink it himself (Hugh Jackman should have sought this guy's help)! No terminally ill wife to bother with, in fact no family or servants either, except for a full-figured lady assistant, who discovers the professor's inert body behind a sofa. For whatever improbable reason, the scientist had left a note saying that if he was to be found dead, his body should be put into the coffin down in the basement of his isolated mansion. And so it goes. Interestingly, the word Dracula is never used in the film, and people refer to the vampire as "khabees rooh", which literally translates as "evil spirit".
This was not a big-budget affair, and it is therefore quite heartening to see how much they managed to pull off on meager resources. The film retains a lot of Stoker's original plot, despite a contemporary setting, and the inclusion of some silly musical interludes. Some of the direction is er wooden, as is some of the acting. But there are also eerie, suspenseful scenes, and good lighting and set design, evoking a Gothic and creepy atmosphere (in black and white).
There are a couple of odd 'fade-outs' at the most inappropriate moments, but I suspect this was done at the behest of the censor board, who were initially aghast at the mere idea of a local horror film. They only passed the film after the producer-hero and director promised that they'd never ever make such a film again. And sure enough, they never did, despite the film becoming an unexpected hit. Even more surprising is that for an industry steeped in plagiarism, nobody else jumped on the bandwagon, either.
Not really scary (but not suitable for young children, either), the film is nonetheless reasonably engrossing and one of the more unique takes on the familiar tale. Horror and cult fans should definitely check it out.
This was not a big-budget affair, and it is therefore quite heartening to see how much they managed to pull off on meager resources. The film retains a lot of Stoker's original plot, despite a contemporary setting, and the inclusion of some silly musical interludes. Some of the direction is er wooden, as is some of the acting. But there are also eerie, suspenseful scenes, and good lighting and set design, evoking a Gothic and creepy atmosphere (in black and white).
There are a couple of odd 'fade-outs' at the most inappropriate moments, but I suspect this was done at the behest of the censor board, who were initially aghast at the mere idea of a local horror film. They only passed the film after the producer-hero and director promised that they'd never ever make such a film again. And sure enough, they never did, despite the film becoming an unexpected hit. Even more surprising is that for an industry steeped in plagiarism, nobody else jumped on the bandwagon, either.
Not really scary (but not suitable for young children, either), the film is nonetheless reasonably engrossing and one of the more unique takes on the familiar tale. Horror and cult fans should definitely check it out.
helpful•40
- ajji-2
- Jun 13, 2007
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Dracula in Pakistan
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.44 : 1
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