“I believe in women and men being equal.”
If you look at the posters of upcoming action comedy, Parchi, one of the two men featured on it, Usman Mukhtar, instantly captivates attention; he looks amazed as if he has come across something unexpected. “If I tell you the reason behind these expressions, what will you watch in the film?” he responded when asked about it during a recent interview with Instep.
Having made his big screen debut with a strong cameo appearance in last year’s Janaan, director turned actor Usman Mukhtar is all set to play the lead role in Parchi. While he also takes on the role of a cinematographer for the upcoming project, others who feature in the film include Hareem Farooq, Ali Rehman Khan, Ahmed Ali Akbar and Shafqat Khan.
Unlike most contemporary post-revival Pakistani films, Parchi puts a female character (played by Hareem Farooq) at the center of the story, who essays the role of a gangster, Eman.
We asked Mukhtar if he had any reservations in signing up for a film that has a female protagonist at its heart. He shared, “I personally felt really happy about it. Feminism is a great thing if the term is used properly. I believe in women and men being equal. If a woman is allowed to do something then a man should be allowed to do the same thing and if a woman isn’t allowed to do it then it should be the same for men too. At the end of the day we are all human beings.”
Speaking about women being nothing more than eye candies in most of our films (something we witnessed in films like Jawani Phir Nahi Ani and Na Maloom Afraad 2) and also in Bollywood, Mukhtar noted that they are restricted as pretty faces. “For the commercial aspect, the heroine is a pretty face; there is no substance to the character whatsoever,” he observed. “Parchi is going to change that stereotype, in our industry at least, that a woman can also be the protagonist of a film and men are supposed to follow. This is going to change the perception about all the women.”
Parchi follows the story of five individuals; Bash (Ali Rehman Khan), Saqlain (Ahmed Ali Akbar), Bhola (Shafqat Khan), Bilal (Usman Mukhtar) and Eman (Hareem Farooq) whose lives change as they cross each other’s path.
Reflecting on his character in the film, Mukhtar revealed, “Bilal is an office going boy who works at a newspaper office from 9 to 5. Whatever he earns he sends to his mother and also supports his brother. He is a very simple and humble boy who never does anything wrong but because of so many responsibilities on him, he is always frustrated and has a temper problem.”
As the interview came to a close, we asked Mukhtar what is it that viewers should look forward to in the film and whether it carries a message or not.
“Parchi has a lot of entertainment and action; it’s a pure entertainer,” he informed. “People will be happy when they come out of the cinema. At the end of the day it’s our responsibility to deliver to the audience and to the industry. All of us together have to help develop our industry which is at a growing stage right now.”While the cast is currently busy promoting the film in Pakistan and beyond, Parchi is scheduled to release on January 5, 2018.
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