This week You! is in conversation with Kamran Shahid regarding his debut film project...
entertainment
The COVID-19 lockdowns and social distancing measures disrupted the cinema industry big time all over the world. While online streaming sites were a solace for movie junkies, there is nothing that beats the experience of watching a movie on the big screen. The Pakistani cinema is fighting back post pandemic. It’s doing so by providing experiences you can’t get at home. A number of films are being shown at theatres across the country and crowds once again queue in line to watch their favourite stars on the silver screen.
This year, one of the films being released on this Eid is ‘Huey Tum Ajnabi’, a love story written in the backdrop of the Fall of Dhaka, 1971. The film is written and directed by Kamran Shahid, a well-known television host famous for his political shows. This is Shahid’s first project as a director and how he came into it is itself an interesting story. With an ensemble cast and 10 scores, the film promises to attract the cinema goers. This week You! is in conversation with Kamran Shahid regarding his debut film project. Read on...
You! Your father is a big star but you chose hosting and now directing. Why didn’t you try as an actor?
Kamran Shahid: I had a natural flair for acting but couldn’t pursue it because of my mother who was always against me working in films. Though, my father really wanted me to act in films, I had to surrender in favour of my mother.
You! What made you interested in writing and directing a film?
KS: I read ‘Dead Reckoning: Memories of the 1971 Bangladesh War’ by Sarmila Bose. This book persuaded me to write a script on this subject. After finishing my script, I started to look for a director. The problem was that no one agreed to direct the film which was based on historical facts. So, finally I decided to do it myself. That was really a challenge for me.
You! Did you get any training in direction?
KS: To be honest ‘Huey Tum Ajnabi’ is a miracle. Although, my father worked in the film industry; he never took me to the studio on his shoots. I have never seen any director working nor recieved any training in this craft. I did without much prior technical know-how. So making this project for cinema is really a wonder, however, I loved directing this film because of its story, based on historical events.
You! Is HTA a love story in the backdrop of the 1971 war?
KS: Yes. The incidents of war are in the background of the story but basically it is a love story between a Punjabi boy Nizamuddin (Mikaal Zulfiqar) and a Bengali girl Zeenat (Sadia Khan). They both met in Dhaka University before the Fall of Dhaka and story continues after the fall as well. Basically, we have covered the years of 1970 and 1971, when an international political theatre was set for the event. So we have filmed both scenarios; before and after the fall. These political domains are in the outskirts of the story in a very impactful manner but the romance remains dominating of all the tracks running in the film.
You! How much time did it take you to complete the movie?
KS: We started working on the idea in 2014. It took almost two years to complete the script. Shooting started by the end of 2016, which continued for the next three years. As the scale of our film was very vast, it took more time to complete than other films. We also hired international expertise; the sound of HTA is designed by Sreejesh Nair, who has also designed sounds of films like Harry Potter. The VFX of the film is done by Scott Newman from Hollywood. Moreover, the logistics were too big in our film. We have not duplicated the crowd in many of our scenes. So, there were actually 100s of people on our sets sometimes. After all that, we had planned to release it on Eid 2020 but Covid came and everything went into halt. Cinemas all over the world were closed. But now, the film is ready to be released on this Eid.
You! Your film has 10 songs in it. So can it be categorised as a musical?
KS: Yes. It is a musical romantic saga. The title song is done by Ali Zafar. Moreover, we have a very dramatic number ‘Ranjhy Bina’ sung by Abida Parveen Ji. Other musical scores are done by Asim Azhar, Sahir Ali Bagga, Naveed Nashad, Nijat Ali and Baqir Abbas, who has also done background score of film. Traditionally, only one music composer is hired for a film but I gathered work from the number of composers, whichever was suitable for my film. Moreover, we have not put the songs just to fill the space or as an item. Every song comes at a very dramatic situation, moving the story forward. Like, the leading lady of the film is introduced through a song.
You! Can you tell us how many political characters you have included in your film?
KS: I have included only three characters from history of that particular event; Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and Indira Gandhi. But all these characters and political dramas from history are in the backdrop of the story. HTA is a purely commercial entertaining film. Politics is only added wherever it is needed.
You! Where was ‘Huey Tum Ajnabi’ shot?
KS: We shot the film mostly in Lahore and Karachi. To depict the Dhaka of the 1970s, we went to some islands near Karachi.
You! The word ‘Ajnabi’ is written in a different font on the poster of your film. A lot of people are getting confused about it. Can you clarify?
KS: It is a Bengali font. People are confusing it with the Indian language. Bengali and Sanskrit script are very much alike. We added the Bengali font on our poster just to give it an authentic touch.
