Lahore: Veteran actor Jamal Shah’s directorial debut Badal – Revenge of the Worthless finally saw the light of the day when it was premiered, first in Islamabad and later in Lahore, last week. Although the name suggests a revenge saga, the film is really about the Swat insurgency and the terrorists who took control of the valley by terrorizing people and using their own twisted interpretation of the Holy book.
The new film by Jamal Shah has merit.
Lahore Veteran actor Jamal Shah’s directorial debut Badal – Revenge of the Worthless finally saw the light of the day when it was premiered, first in Islamabad and later in Lahore, last week. Although the name suggests a revenge saga, the film is really about the Swat insurgency and the terrorists who took control of the valley by terrorizing people and using their own twisted interpretation of the Holy book.
The star-studded premiere, held at Super Cinemas in Lahore, saw the cast of the film come together, and also played host to several members of the film fraternity who were there to support the efforts of local cinema.
From actor/director Jamal Shah to veteran actors Firdous Jamal and Ayub Khoso (who have pivotal roles in the film) to legendary playwright and poet Amjad Islam Amjad, Ashgar Nadeem Syed, noted playwright Munnu bhai was also there and actors Irfan Khoosat and Rashid Mehmood – all graced the red carpet and shared their thoughts about the resurgence of cinema in Pakistan.
Firdous Jamal observed that he didn’t remember the last time he starred in a film. “I think it was 20 to 25 years ago that I worked in a film,” said Jamal. “I did this film only because of my friendship with Jamal Shah, because he is a good actor and a dear old friend. I liked the script as well since it’s based on something that we all have experienced in the last few years.”
The film is based on true events that took place in the Swat region a few years back before the Army took over the Valley. Firdous Jamal plays Saleh Mohammad, a religious leader who tries to broker a deal between the Talibans and the government. Ayub Khoso essays Qudratullah, the Ameer of Taliban and Jamal Shah essays the role of an ex-army officer who doesn’t bow down to the terrorists. There is also a parallel story of Shabana (Maira Khan), a local singer and Arbaaz (Shamyl Khan) a music video director who face threats yet continue to work with zeal.
Janan, played by Imran Tareen, meanwhile joins the Taliban to take revenge against the killing of his family and all these stories happen simultaneously and merge into one as the film reaches its conclusion.
Jamal Shah, who recently acted in Ho Mann Jahaan and Hijrat was happy at the way the film was received in Islamabad and Lahore.
“For the first time we have shown the two sides of the story, we have tried to show the true picture of the events that led to the invasion of the Pakistan Army in the region,” said Shah.
Technically, the film has some issues but the director clarifies that they are due to a mishap that occurred during post production – they lost much of their data to machine error and that’s also the reason for the repeated delay in the film’s release.
Even then, the narrative is racy, the acting comes across as natural and the action sequences are commendable. In many of the scenes, even the Army jawaans are shown to be martyred in an ambush which hasn’t been done before on screen. No, there is no ‘Aaye Raah-e-Haq Kay Shaheedon’ and ‘Pak Sar Zameen’ in the background but an original track by Mehdi Raza and Jamal Shah that deals with the many moods of the film.
Actor and director Jamal Shah believes that there is a lot of talent in Pakistan and the amount of newcomers he introduced in the film is a proof of that.
“Most of the actors in the film hadn’t acted before, in films or TV and that’s the reason why my film has a fresh look,” said Shah. “A few of the actors in the movie later performed in Anwar Maqsood’s Siachen on stage whereas no one was able to recognize Imran Tareen without his beard (neither was I, despite being sitting beside him).”
Badal – Revenge of the Worthless has been released all over Pakistan and should appeal to emotions of patriotic Pakistanis as well as fans of the action genre.
