023 hasn’t been a wonderful year for cinema for a multitude of reasons. Did films release? Yes, they did. But were any of them as memorable as a Kamli, The Legend of Maula Jatt, Laal Kabootar or even their predecessors? Nope. But you can find some comfort in the fact that in the first half of 2023, films did release.

It’s about balance. Plus, policy related to cinema has been announced by the government.

It might lead to zealous patriotic films or it just might afford filmmakers a chance to tell their stories as they wish to tell. The effect of this remains to be seen.

We are at a perplexing form of cinematic crossroads.

No film might be able to repeat the success, critically or commercially of the aforementioned films, but investment in cinema and movies will not stop. If it had, we would’ve had no film at all this year.

A case in point is the long-awaited and much-talked about high-profile film, Umro Ayyar – A New Beginning, which is painted as a strong “fantasy-realism” adventure.

The trailer has finally been released, and the description of the film - given below its trailer on YouTube - pretty much confirms this interpretation.

It notes: “In a realm of enchantment, where legends reside, where good clashes with evil, heroes will rise; where ancient lore echoes, tales come alive. Embrace the magic and let your spirits thrive.”

Irrespective of what you will take away from this film trailer, the cast does make one wonder what kind of ride they were in for and what ride, we the consumers, will be in for.

Actors, who tend to crisscross between multiple industries with many being super popular make up the cast.

These include Usman Mukhtar, Faran Tahir, Sanam Saeed, Ali Kazmi, Adnan
Siddiqui, Simi Raheal, Sana Nawaz, Manzar Sehbai, Dan-iyal Raheal, Salmaan Shau-kat, Osama Karamat, Uloomi Karim, Asad Chaudhary, Atif Rehan Siddique, Muhammad Imran, Bilal Jutt, Ruman Ali, Shehroz Sanaullah and Ham-za Ali Abbasi, with direction helmed by Azfar Jafri.

What was great to see in the trailer were actors like Ali Kazmi and Sanam Saeed, who have shed their own public persona to look the part.

The voice-over section ft. Hamza Ali Abbasi is reminiscent of The Legend of Maula Jatt due to Abbasi’s pitch when he talks.

However, this film, too, seems to have at its heart a story about good versus evil, and aims to present something visually unique. It is also a homage to Urdu literature where characters are modernized enough to be understood in this fast age of dissonance due to content overload. But it is from literature.

Watching Faran Tahir in the film is also a delight because we are accustomed to watching him in small arcs across American television shows or cameos in films.

What can be said is that nearly every actor has an arc or a role we haven’t seen them in before.

Will the shadow of The Legend of Maula Jatt follow this film or let it stand on its own will be the test it needs to pass.

Having said that, the film should not rest on the shoulders of just one actor.

Thankfully, the trailer suggests otherwise, with Usman Mukhtar, Ali Kazmi, and Sanam Saeed potentially sharing those duties. Is there a supernatural factor?

Is it a superhero story? It seems so if you watch the film’s trailer on repeat. Here’s hoping that vision is executed sharply and with as much grit as possible.