Yasir Akhtar is all set to release a film, titled Azaad

International singer Yasir Akhtar, who has popular songs such as ‘Sansani’ and ‘Take it Easy,’ to his name, is gearing up to release a film, called Azaad. Directed and produced by Akhtar, the film is a presentation of Motion Content Group and Pegasus Productions and will be released under ‘Multinational Films’ that plans to release a series of films in the future. These films will be shot in the UK, USA, UAE and Pakistan, and will revolve around stories from all over the world. Each film will be about 100-minute long and will feature both new and experienced actors; it will be aired on TV channels around the world. Most films out of these will be directed by Akhtar, who will also be acting in them.

Coming back to Azaad that is the first film to release as part of the series and is shot in London, it follows the lives of two brothers – Aazer, played by Yasir Akhtar and his younger brother Ayzad, essayed by Gagan Chopra) – and their single mother Mehru (Parveen Akbar). After the murder of her husband with young children, Mehru leaves Pakistan to take refuge in London. Growing up in East-End London, Aazer and Ayzad become friends with a British-Pakistani girl in the neighbourhood, named Yasmin, played by Momal Sheikh.

“Showing the tough struggles of a single mother in a totally new culture, Mehru struggles to give her children a secured lifestyle,” Yasir Akhtar shared with Instep in an interview. “The story takes a dark twist when Dilawar (Imran Ali Asad), a cousin of Aazar and Ayzad, arrives from Pakistan.”

“Overpowering emotions shared between the family, a love triangle, clash of cultures and values while living in the west, Azaad captures life in London,” he added.

Speaking of people behind the camera, who worked tirelessly to bring Azaad to life, Akhtar shared that his wife Lubna Akhtar has been working as executive producer while Shaista Iram Zahid and Zahid Hamid serve the role of associate producers. Grooming and makeup was taken care of by Rabia Arshad while credits for wardrobe go to Burooj. Zahed Tarafdar and Hira Tehseen worked as assistants while the latter also features in the film alongside Jodyanne Richardson and others.

Azaad is written by Roommy Zahid from Bradford while the camera work is done by Hayat Khan.

Having worked with both local and international names including Apache Indian, Sahara Group, Stereo Nation, Hunterz, etc., Akhtar shared that he had an amazing experience shooting Azaad.

He said, “I had a fantastic team; one of the finest actresses of Pakistan, Parveen Akbar, was playing the role of our mother. She has been the backbone. She is extremely professional, intelligent and an outstanding actress. We shot Azaad in December 2018 when it was extremely cold. Momal Sheikh had to wear extra layers to stay warm but she gave her best. One of the most memorable scenes from Azaad was shot on Trafalgar Square, where she brings a muffler for me as a present. We both did shot scenes around Windsor Castle. The camera loves Momal – who has done justice to the character. She is playing the role of a radio presenter who’s in search of her father.”

Akhtar also shared that a song called ‘Saiyaan’, which he has co-written with Irfan Saleem, is featured on the soundtrack of Azaad while the film’s music is composed by Zahid Ali with additional contribution by Sohail Keys. Content head Aabid Omer is the man behind background music whereas Kerem Isik took care of the sound.

Reflecting on launching Multinational Films, Akhtar noted that he wanted to do something that could bring artists and stories from different cultures together.

“Having lived in Pakistan and now in the UK, I believe that so much can be shared by merging new and renowned talents and depicting cultural issues faced by many across the world,” he informed. “My goal is to shine light on these cultural divides, and give the audience a taste of international storytelling. Multinational Films will be a start of a new era, a new trend and new style of production.”