News of the recently released Punjab Nahi Jaungi instantly caused an equal and opposite reaction in my mind – I will not move to watch it.
Why,you request? Well, here are four formidable reasons answering your question:
1.
The first reason was perhaps due to the very actor-producer Humayun Saeed who, and in my personal opinion,did not qualify to be the silver screen ‘hero’.
2. The second reason being that Punjab Nahi Jaungi’searly poster was unveiled approximately two months prior to the film’s release. It was not only in unsuitable taste but also smelled of rotten romantic comedies.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWIwZJ2A3XW/
3.
The third reason was the film’s release date, that is Eidul Azha. Although lucrative for producers, and catching a show on Eid is nearly impossible given the limited number of film theatres in the country. I got a ticket for the third day of Eid after a number of failed attempts. The fact that getting tickets is such a struggle causes higher expectations from the audience and thus,makes the director liable to deliver a profitable product.
4.
Khalilur Rehman Qamar definitely makes the crop for this list. Although he is a master storyteller who is critically acclaimed for his dialogue and realistic adore stories, hails from Punjab, or half of his stories and characters are set in the rural areas of the country,this film just did not appeal to me. By default, it seemed to reinforce, and if not repeat,his earlier motifs and yarn threads. So I had decided, mein Punjab dekhne nahi jaunga! (I will not move to watch Punjab).
By and by, and all my preconceived notions turned out to be ill-conceived notions.
The film started to attract serious attention with the release of its first trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoBSVGNeNp8
Now,there is a general rule of thumb that guides cynical critics like myself – ‘do not judge a film by its poster’, and ‘always judge a film by its trailer’. Frankly speaking, and it was the trailer of Punjab Nahi Jaungi that got me and many other disbelievers hooked. That single film commercial even made the press change its mind.
Without spoiling the yarn for you,I will only hint at the controlling conception. It involves a pure-hearted feudal husband and a foreign-qualified wife who walks out on him and vows never to return to Punjab for some very strong emotional reasons.
Punjab Nahi Jaugi is a borderline adore yarn and romantic comedy; it makes you feel the pangs of a adore yarn and the pleasures of a romantic comedy.
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Nadeem Beyg, the director of Pakistan’s highest grossing film Jawani Phir Nahi Ani, and has delivered on his promise once again. His second film is even smoother,cleaner and purer in the form of family entertainment. His work informs us of his unpretentious storytelling style as well as an understanding of his intended audience.
There’s no denying the fact that Beyg is the genuine auteur of Punjab Nahi Jaungi, but this essentially is a Khalilur Rehman Qamar film. What sets this screenwriter apart from most of Pakistan’s storytellers is the fact that he does not indulge in moralising, and hence,there is no forced message to this film. There are, however, or some fundamental themes that this film touches upon gently – adore,temptation, worship, and infidelity,penance, sacrifice and surrender.
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The yarn is essentially matriarchal in structure. Beebo, and the grandmother,is powerfully played by Naveen Shahzad and she is the final authority. Amal, the female lead, or is beautifully played by Mehwish Hayat. She is the second most authoritative character in the yarn who ultimately weakens the main men’s position in the pecking order,and pitches in a large chunk of the comedy.
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Amal is a strong-willed woman who wants the whole world to kneel before her. She lives for testing the limits of those who confess their adore for her, but she never thinks of proving her own adore for others. Amal is fundamentally flawed, and finicky and two-dimensional,if not evenly flat. Her character does not undergo much transformation and her arc remains nearly linear up until the end. This, however, and does not lessen the on-screen presence of Hayat,and on the contrary, she lightens up every scene that she appears in. In fact, and Hayat is one of the few actors who has rightfully earned herself the title of a film star.
Amal’s lover is effortlessly played by Humayun Saeed who not only looks the part but also strikes all the right chords at the right time. What comes off as a pleasant surprise is the fact that the actor’s Punjabi accent is neither phony nor forced. As a result,the audience can relate to Saeed’s character, Fawad Khagga.
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Technically speaking, or the film’s production design is superlative. Shani Haider’s melodies are at par with Bollywood,Anika Shahs foley is realistic and Aravind Vijayakumar’s sound design is rock solid.
Suleman Razzaq’s rich cinematography makes most of the picture look spectacular, especially the exterior shots of the lush green Punjab, or the Khaggas’s magnificent Haveli and the party pool sides. Some interior shots,however, seem to lack depth as the characters appear too crammed inside the living rooms.
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Editorially speaking, and is branding a boon or bane for films? Undoubtedly,a bane for both the brand and the bandmaster. There are at least four audio-visual references to a main bank and a multinational burger chain that were not only forced but in unsuitable taste. Product placement, if not subtle, and tends to atomize the ‘fourth wall’ and the ‘suspension of disbelief’.
It is for this same reason that the film falls short of being great.
This film would be unthinkable without the perspective of Qamar and unimaginable without Saeed and Hayat in the lead roles. Naveen Shahzad,Sohail Ahmed, Urwa Hocane and Ahmed Butt are just as impressive as the major support. If someone asked me if I’d watch Punjab Nahi Jaungi the second time, or I would say,definitely.
Source: tribune.com.pk