SherDil is a film that will definitely be memorable purely because of the turning point it will turn out as for the visual effects and CGI in the Pakistani Industry. Other than that, the film also hits all the right spots as a masala entertainer, and while it's not the best film out there, it's definitely a fun popcorn watch and to me that's what a costly ticket price should be worth, the grandeur.
The timing really helps as the story and many scenes reflect upon the recent Pak-India conflict. Let's break down the technicalities:
Story: I must admit that it is not something i'd purely enjoy on a laptop screen, the film is purely made for the big screen, hence why I didn't mind the script which had alot of flaws. It's very inconsistent, and goes haywire at times. The first half is great, after that there's just too much unnecessary stuff going on that's both dull and unnecessary. The Dubai scene could've been cut short ALOT and that random Don scene was just not needed. If you can look past that, it's very engaging as the ending is definitely satisfying. Dialogues are well written and had the script had a better direction or proper character development tau this would have been a revolutionary product. 5/10
VFX/Cinematography : Scott Newman and Muqeem Khan have done a fantastic job. Riki Butland has also brought his magic to the screen. You can tell the budget was huge. looks expensive and at points I could barely tell if it was CGI or real. The dog fights are fantastic, cinematography is breathtaking and these combined are the saving grace for the film. 9/10
Direction: Azfar Jaffri i feel didn't have much creative control because the tone feels like it's not his. I'm a fan of his previous work so this could've been better. Direction is not perfect, but it ties up the lazy script as best as it can and Jaffri deserves a credit for that. 7/10
Acting: overall the acting is very good with the exception of minor characters or extras who felt like were dubbed by random people. as for the whole cast, here's a breakdown:
Mikaal: while he looks the part and commands good presence, his acting is hit or miss. in the start he's overdoing it and then his transition in five years isn't visible. his performance is decent but could've been much better.
Armeena: i don't know if i can comment much as her voice was dubbed horribly. whatever differences the makers of the film had with her, it felt like they purposely had a bad voice actress do her dub. her expressions were fine, the tone of her voice ruined it all.
Hassan Niazi: what a performance! he completely overshadowed Mikaal and brought his A game to the table. we need to see more of him.
Sabeeka Imam: her accent was believable, although not accurate. her performance was slightly stiff but not bad at all. her scene with Hassan felt very natural and she definitely commanded presence for the limited time she was in.
Samina Ahmed: as always, she rocks it. undoubtedly the best, i'm your biggest fan Samina ji!
Additionally Leyla Zubairi gives a mediocre performance, where as Dr Uppal struggles to deliver his lines, clearly not an actor. I think however the breaking point in this cast are the new faces.
Malik Aqeel has great comic timing and does justice to his character.
Belal Shahid gives an impressive performance as he not only is able to play a backward character with perfection but does what Mikaal fails to do; his 5 year transition is spot on.
Ibrahim Alavi is out of the three given more screen time and relevance and it is all deserved. He has the most natural delivery in the whole cast. He being a first timer completely outshines Mikaal and Armeena in all their scenes. Despite the lazy writing, he makes the scenes work with his subtle yet impactful performance. 7.5/10
Music: the soundtrack is well done and adds alot to the dogfights. at some parts the music is added to the scenes in a weird manner which it could've done without. 8/10
Songs: The military song is perhaps the best one as it not only sounds good but goes well with the training montage, i can definitely jam to it. The rest of the songs are decent but nothing special. Ho Jania is shot beautifully but it could have been choreographed better. The Club song is just weird and feels out of place and has very tacky lyrics, nor is it shot well with the both Hassan and Sabeeka giving dancing awkwardly. Ibrahim should've been given more space as he brings somewhat life to it. The film could've done without it honestly. Lastly, Kuri da Jhumka is a decent wedding number that people will definitely be playing at their Mehndi. All the boys carry it well and the choreography is good, although it could've been shot better. My only problem is the weird random chinese girl. What the hell was that? 7/10
Overall: the film has problems with the way it's excuted. Script was inconsistent and editing was very sloppy. However, decent performances by the cast, beautiful visuals, intense and well animated dog fights, an extremely funny first half and a very satisfying ending make up for decent cinematic experience. Overall i give the film an 8/10 as the pros outweigh the cons.
SherDil is an entertaining flight that has some flaws but you still have a lot of fun!
