absahmed Reviews

Verna (2017)

Strong topic, silly movie.

[5/10 · 27 November 2017]

The movie had a good topic, something to shout about but delivered a utterly silly plot hole ridden film. A message which got confused in the seemingly endless sub topics, I wish this film was grittier, darker and less imaginary than it was; so that it could connect with people on a deeper social level. This was just glossing over the real message so not to cause controversy, so much could have been done with the initial basic idea.

Shoaib Mansoor's previous two movies were better and actually tackled things head on and confidently made a statement, Verna in comparison was at best extremely watered down.

A little comical at times due to scenes and plots not being developed enough, for what was marked as a serious release.

Pakistani film making has to stop backtracking on things already explored and be smarter about what's being released, and how stories develop.

The focus has always been on the cast and what actor or actress is playing the lead etc. If the emphasis on the importance of which actors are cast is ignored then maybe things will progress.

Yalghaar (2017)

A sufficient film

[7/10 · 26 June 2017]

I am a fan of the progressive nature that the Pakistani Film industry displays. The movies are now being released more frequently than ever. Although, like this movie very heavily reliant on advertising/product placement, I did not want a certain banks products shoved in my face Choppy editing seems to be the norm for Pakistani movies now, it's almost like they do not have enough budget to do things properly making scenes look incomplete.

The film itself was a tribute to the nation of Pakistan's army, and it did a good job of showing patriotism and giving an insight (if not a very loose insight) into what the young men & women do.

The movie did begin boring, as from the trailers a full on action movie was expected, it did get better and the action increased, also new actors need to be cast, as it's the same bunch of actors that are in every movie; there seemed to be an unnecessary amount of male lead characters, mostly whom are just models jumping on the project to make some extra money!

Dobara Phir Se (2016)

A Mature Sophisticated Movie

[8/10 · 30 November 2016]

A great film, which should set an example.

The Pakistani film revival is now well and truly in full swing. It's safe to say after watching this. A mature story-line, vastly different from the commercial market in Pakistan, this sets the bar with superb acting, script and story telling.

The tying-in and well thought out cultural references were pulled off superbly. The film did drag a little especially towards the end, as there were a number of times scenes felt like the climax of the movie, but were dragged out longer than anticipated.

This is a wonderful example; to show contemporary film making in Pakistan. However, it is a shame that this probably won't appeal to mass market and therefore won't yield as much money at the box office.

I loved it, and would watch it again, it just worked so well on screen.

Lahore Se Aagey (2016)

Fun Filled Film

[7/10 · 12 November 2016]

The second installment in the Wahjahut Raul Lahore movies. Very fun to watch.

The acting performances were strong, and the musical numbers fitted in well. Although the story line made no sense whatsoever, and the script a little basic compared to the first movie. The fun factor made up for it.

There were occasional references to the first movie, but if you haven't seen the first part its fine. This time the movie had a bigger release and it showed in the production and cinematography which was shot well. I hope that going forward for the Pakistani movies in general that they don't rely heavily on the product placement.

This was a fun, semi family friendly movie, with thought behind the production aspects, Well done.

Janaan (2016)

This had potential.

[5/10 · 13 September 2016]

Right, I am by no means a film expert, however I know a bad film when I see one. This was one of them.

Janaan felt like a made for TV movie, with just about enough budget to hold it together. There was hardly any character development and I struggled to see the point of the story, it felt very much like a 'dot-to dot', lets make it up as we go along story.

The lead actress, who seems to be plucked out of nowhere did not hold her role together, incredibly limited acting skills. Ali Rehman Khan had a stand out performance which far surpassed the others. He made the best out of a bad situation.

This potentially could have been much better, with a better story and development. Lessons have to be learnt from this, otherwise I give up on Pakistani Movies.

Ho Mann Jahaan (2015)

A slow dull affair

[4/10 · 2 January 2016]

This movie is the first major Pakistani release of the year, and quite honestly fell a bit flat.

The concept on which this movie is based upon is outdated and contradictory to the kind of movies that Pakistan has been releasing thus far. The script was basic, acting mediocre at times and general execution and direction dull.

I didn't see any diverse acting skills, instead some of the scenes came off as forced, stilted and overacted. The editing was choppy and the promise of a musical extravaganza failed to meet any expectation whatsoever.

After watching some recent release's that the Pakistan film industry has to offer this effort fell far below to what else is out there. It seems that there is a danger for future releases to fall in to this tired concept and just because it has a couple of big name stars attached to the project that it is automatically acceptable for an international release.

A poor effort overall. Leaves a lot to be desired.