Project Ghazi adds a new genre to Pakistan’s film landscape
The year 2017 saw the release of several films on local turf but most of them failed to leave a mark. Neither the narratives nor the characters were strong enough to make an impression except for maybe Chalay Thay Saath that was fresh even if it wasn’t perfect. While Eid-ul-Fitr will see the release of Hassan Waqas Rana’s war saga Yalghaar (that premiered in Islamabad this weekend) and Yasir Nawaz’s Mehrunisa V Lub U, there are a number of films releasing later that appear to be intriguing in their choice of genre and storyline.
Aside from Nabeel Qureshi’s Na Maloom Afraad 2 (social satire), Nadeem Baig’s Punjab Nahi Jaongi (rom-com) and Amir Mohiuddin’s Rangreza (musical), one film to release next month is Nadir Shah’s superhero flick, Project Ghazi. The film’s trailer was recently launched at an event in Karachi, with the lead cast and crew in attendance, but the trailer failed to blow anyone away; it generated mixed reviews from the audience.
Touted as Pakistan’s first superhero film, Project Ghazi stars Humayun Saeed, Sheheryar Munawar, Syra Shahroz and Adnan Jaffar in pivotal roles. However, going by the trailer, the film lacks the superhero feel and looks more like a simple action movie featuring a battle between good and evil. While evil is represented by Adnan Jaffar, who was missing from the event, Saeed and Munawar will play the two good guys while Saeed is a mentor to the latter. Syra Shahroz on the other hand has multiple duties to fulfill in the film; she’s a scientist who appears to be an investigation officer and will also have action sequences as one can see her holding a gun in the film’s poster.
Outstanding in the trailer, however, was veteran actor Talat Hussain. Hussain is seen conversing with Shahroz in the trailer and one can see that the actor has given stellar expressions which further cement the fact that he’s one of the best actors of the country.
Unfortunately, there was a major issue with the sound in the trailer. There was a lot of noise in the background due to which we couldn’t hear what the characters were saying at many instances. This took away from the impact the trailer could and should have had; it looks and sounds better on YouTube.
Speaking to Instep on the sidelines of the event, director Nadir Shah shed light on the attention that has been given to detail, a necessity for a film of this genre. “The main thing for us is that we’re doing something innovative. And it’s the first step. We can go further than this as well. We have used processes that are used in international films, used 3D printing for the masks. We did concept art for character designs as well. Basically the team put in a lot of effort into the script as well as the visual effects. The film has a semi realistic tone which means that the superheroes won’t by flying around.” While being tightlipped about the plot of the film, the director did reveal that there are many narratives within the film. “Every character has his own arc,” he concluded.
Reflecting on the fact that Syra comes across as an investigation officer in the trailer while she is also playing a scientist, Shah said, “Syra is a special agent type of a character. She has more than one role to play in the film.”
Produced by Ali Raza, Project Ghazi has been shot in Pakistan and is expected to release on July 14, this year.
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