Spectre premieres in Pakistan

Friday night was all about the return of James Bond and like most of the world, Pakistanis also turned up in good numbers at what was a starry movie premiere held in Karachi.

Adnan Malik, Sadaf Malaterre, Tapu Javeri, Frieha Altaf, Nubain Ali and friends strike a pose at the Karachi premiere of Spectre.

Celebrities from all walks of life unleashed the movie fanatic in them and crowded cinema halls to get a glimpse of the larger-than-life action sequences and swanky Aston Martins that have come to be associated with Bond movies. Though expected to hit the $80 million mark on its opening weekend, Spectre has received mixed reviews from around the globe with many even calling it the ‘worst Bond movie ever’. Instep caught with a couple of local stars to learn what their reaction was, post the screening of the film.

“It’s interesting to see contemporary Bond’s character respond to the changed world order,” Adnan Malik reflected. “Enemies are transnational and hence the stories have had to evolve. Plus we live in much more politically correct times, so Bond has to be little more responsible about what he does, both in combat and desire. That’s why I think with the last two Bond films, we’ve gone a little more psychological with him.”

“Skyfall has definitely been my favourite Bond film because it’s so moody. I really enjoyed Spectre as well, though. You have to go in with suspension of disbelief and not expect too much from the story. But I loved the mood; the production design was top notch and Sam Mendes is a fantastic, thoughtful, psychological director,” Adnan added.

Actor Bilal Ashraf, who will soon be seen pulling off a few stunts himself in the upcoming war saga Yalghaar, on the other hand, was not too blown away by the new 007 offering. “Spectre was not as good as I expected it to be. The only good thing was the Aston Martin and Monica Belluci,” he said. Other celebrities who attended the premiere included Humayun Saeed, Sarwat Gillani, Momal Sheikh, Zhalay Sarhadi, Nomi Ansari, Fauzia Aman, Amna Baber and Sajal Ali.

Spectre is the 24th James Bond movie and the fourth from the Daniel Craig era. The film witnesses “Bond receive a cryptic message from his past, sending him on a trail to uncover a sinister organisation. As Bond strips back the layers of deceit to reveal the truth about Spectre, M must deal with political forces to keep the secret service alive”. While the story of the film has been dubbed as fairly unconvincing, watch it for the stunts and visually-stunning, brainless action like most other 007 films.