he war is not quite over, and the battle really hasn’t been won, but the world at large is ready to leave its Covid-induced cocoon of fear and panic. While restrictions ease up – you can enter certain places without masks if you prefer, and vaccination cards aren’t checked everywhere anymore – mankind is ready for Round 2 of living.

One of the things Pakistan had begun enjoying in the few years before we were forced to work from home, live from home, laugh from home, and love from home, was a cinema scene steadily gaining momentum. At long last, we had activities other than just going out to eat. We could eat after enjoying one of Pakistan’s big screen productions, which again, were maybe catching a third wind of reviving cinema.

This Eid, as Covid cases show decline across major cities, and frankly, simply by the virtue of us having made our peace with the pandemic and understanding how to deal with the act of living amidst one, we are ready to step out and grab whatever entertainment we can get with both hands. Among the movies releasing in theatres is Ghabrana Nahi Hai (GNH), which features a stellar cast including Nayyar Ejaz, Saba Qamar, Syed Jibran, and Zahid Ahmed in pivotal roles. The supporting cast is nothing to scoff at either: Afzal Khan, Akbar Islam, and Saleem Mairaj are actors who bring a little something to everything they do.

That said, the trailer for GNH left us a little befuddled. We could see everyone really falling into their roles and could foretell the film would be a fun one. But the meandering first look at the film did few favours for it.

But, not to beat a dead horse, we are getting a second chance at normalcy for the first time in a couple of years, and of course, the headliners for GNH are actors who have done incredible work, and made increasingly better choices as their careers progressed. To cut a long story short, we really just wanted to hear from the horses’ mouths if we really were going to be in for a fun ride. (p.s. this isn’t an equestrian obsession, these sentences are just happening on their own).

As Saba Qamar, Syed Jibran, and Zahif Ahmed walk us through the mechanics of the GNH storyline, we become convinced that if there’s one movie we’re watching on Eid to recover from endless lunches and dinners and sheer khorma, it will be GNH. Actually, let’s leave sheer khorma out of this, and make a call to a theatre near us to ask if a bowl of sheer from home will be totally amiss.

Saba Qamar

From what we could piece together from the trailers, Qamar’s character Zubi is strong-willed-and-headed, and was on a mission that female offspring in this part of the world often devote their lives to: proving to their parents that having a daughter is like having a child of any other gender.

The feisty Zubi is a TikToker, and was raised to be independent and spirited. That said, when the family faces a crisis, her parents automatically revert to the desi default of wishing they had a son who could bail them out. Zubi, who being a woman, is well-aware of the pitfalls of being a woman in our society – she is harassed at an audition – sets out to prove to her parents that having her as their child is no different from having a son.

“Saqib Khan (Director, GNH) narrated the script to me, and I couldn’t stop laughing,” says Saba. “I knew immediately I had to do this film

“I made some choices that weren’t so great, work-wise, while my career was in its infancy, but I think I have gradually come into my own and have a good eye for good projects now.”

This Eid, we are ready to step out and grab whatever entertainment we can get with both hands. Among the movies releasing in theatres is Ghabrana Nahi Hai (GNH), which features a stellar cast. From what has been seen and heard of the film so far, audiences are in for some heavy-duty masala, action, and plot twists, topped off with equally entertaining music.

The character also strikes a chord with Qamar, as she has experienced first-hand the doubts parents have in their daughters’ abilities, despite all the love they have for them and the confidence in their abilities.

Just like her onscreen parents, Qamar has dealt with truisms that sigh heavily and resignedly, because having a man in one’s life provides ease.

“My mother once said, ‘mard ka hona zaroori hota hai,’ and I immediately pointed out the three men in our home who were asleep at the time, while me, a woman, was out earning to pay the bills,” she recalls.

Playing unconventional but badass characters has become the Saba Qamar signature, and while she doesn’t know if the choice is a conscious one, she does know she enjoys playing those roles.

“I am most looking forward to Zubi’s transition to Zubeida Begum,” she shares, “and of course, Nayyer Ejaz is a delight to watch, and Jibran’s character is really good too!”

Syed Jibran

Jibran laughingly says that the two characters you can play on either Pakistani screen, big or small, is good guy, or bad guy.

“I’m either the guy setting my sister on fire, beating my wife, or the guy advocating for not burning or beating a woman,” he says.

For Jibran, as well as for us since we’re used to seeing him within certain characters, his turn in GNH is an exciting departure from the usual.

“Every actor’s ultimate goal is to do film, and I am no different,” he says, “but I have played – and enjoyed playing – similar roles on television multiple times. For my big screen debut, I wanted my character to be completely different from what my audiences associate me with.”

Jibran’s character is hopelessly in love with Saba Qamar’s, and will stop at nothing to make her happy.

From the trailer and first look posters we have deduced that Jibran will definitely be playing a more lighthearted character than usual, and the little we have seen promises an enjoyable performance. So, will Jibran’s character get the girl? Guess we’ll just have to wait, and watch.

Zahid Ahmed

Not one to make small talk, Zahid Ahmed would rather deep-dive into the mysteries of life than reveal his favourite colour. It comes as no surprise that he methodically chooses to list why GNH is a good movie.

Firstly, though he is the corrupt cop, Ahmed promises, “yes, I play a corrupt cop. No, I do not play into the usual tropes.

“I mean, this guy available for discount, but I played him naturally, understanding and informing the part with the many layers it has. It will not be a caricature; rather, you will see him structured by his character arc, and watch as he evolves beyond who he started out as.”

Ahmed does not want to give much away, but he guarantees that the audience will be delighted by a three-act structure to the film as a whole, and find the well-fleshed out characters, their origins and culminations deeply satisfying.

He also promises that what we have seen or observed in the trailer is just the tip of the iceberg.

“Okay, so I won’t say there is a lot of preaching in GNH, but I can say that it is great storytelling, and you can find the message, should you choose to look for it.”