ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN YOULIN MAGAZINE
Written by: Nayha Jehangir Khan Posted on: May 20, 2022 | | 中文
Saba Qamar as Zubeida Begum and Nayyar Ejaz as Bhai Mian
Cinemas are ready to reopen their doors for film buffs and cinephiles by welcoming a wave of new Pakistani films after a prolonged hiatus caused by the pandemic. The limited 120 cinemas currently operating in the country were facing terrible financial loss having closed down their business for almost two years. The production of feature films has now become a passionate endeavor, costing tens of millions of rupees that involves expensive equipment and highly specialized talent. In the last two weeks of its release, “Ghabrana Nahi Hai” has become one of the highest-grossing films of the season at the box office.
The lead cast of Ghabrana Nahi Hai
The film brings to life the inspirational story of Zubeida, who is endearingly called Zubi, being portrayed by actress Saba Qamar. From the moment Saba Qamar’s character is introduced on the screen, audiences are instantly transported into the world of Zubeida. The chemistry Saba Qamar has with her co-stars Zahid Ahmed and Syed Jibran, feels natural. The film delivers a series of action, romance, comedy, and drama for three hours through exciting plot twists. The title of the film is a reference to a famous quote by the former Prime Minister, Imran Khan that he often uses in his public addresses to the nation, asking them to place their confidence in him and as a testament to his unfaltering determination to succeed.
Saba Qamar, Zahid Ahmed and Syed Jibran
The producers of the film are cinema veterans Jamil Baig of JB Group & Nueplex Cinemas, and Hassan Zia of Mastermind TV Media Production & Films. They have spearheaded many diverse projects to ensure the revival of Pakistani cinema in today's uncertain times. Hassan Zia has previously worked with writer Mohsin Ali on Wrong No., released in 2015 and followed by another Wrong No 2 in 2019. Director Saqib Khan has worked with many of the film’s starring actors in previous projects as well. “Ghabrana Nahi Hai” is focused on themes of female empowerment, and each actor goes on a transformational journey within the film after being held accountable for their actions by Zubeida.
The story begins in Faisalabad where Zubeida’s father, played by Sohail Ahmed, admits to being helpless when a rightfully owned property of his in Karachi has been illegally occupied and taken over by a dangerous land-grabbing mafia. He confesses that because he has a daughter, he has had to remain quiet and abide by societal pressures in ensuring her safety. To help rectify this wrong, and to win the respect of her father, Zubeida sets off to Karachi under the guise of becoming an actor and seeking out the help of her cousin Vicky, played by Syed Jibran.
Zahid Ahmed in 'Ghabrana Nahi Hai'
We watch Zubeida take charge as soon as she steps into the metropolis of Karachi. Her first interaction with the dashing Station House Officer (S.H.O.) Sikander, played by Zahid Ahmed, leads her to believe that he could be her only hope of getting justice for her father. The second hour of the film is about the budding romance between the two, a manipulated distraction to dissuade Zubeida from pursuing the case as it is revealed that Sikander is a corrupt officer working for the mafia. The famous comedian Junaid Akram can be seen playing the role of an honest journalist, who keeps challenging Sikander to reform his ways, but is too optimistic and naive.
Saba Qamar as Zubi
At this point, we understand the premise of the story and empathize with Zubeida’s character, but the writing is convoluted and unnecessarily long. Using the forward button here and skipping the long romantic scenes between Zubeida being deceived by Sikander, instead of the ending of the film would have been a better fit. We learn that Sikander refuses to help her arrest the criminal, even though he is in love with Zubeida. Betrayed by Sikander and emotionally shattered, we finally move into the third and final act of the movie where Vickey suggests that they team up to fight Bhai Mian of the mafia, on their own.
In this third act, Zubeida decides to take on Bhai Mian on her own, played by cinema veteran Nayyer Ejaz. She takes this decision after she learns that he is in search of a poetess who resembles his unrequited love, Jahanara. Zubeida develops a scheme to win back the property under the control of Bhai Mian, while Sikander seeks atonement by rejoining efforts to save Zubeida from Bhai Mian. His inner transformation helps him overcome the fear of Bhai Mian’s revenge and vindictiveness.
Zahid Ahmed with Nayyar Ejaz
The film touches on the deeply entrenched system of illegal land grabbing prevalent in our society, by throwing comedic light on the subject. Together a host of characters team up to bring down the matrix of crime that takes advantage of the average citizen. This is where we see the entry of Saleem Mairaj, who plays a lowly con artist involved in petty immigration crimes. Forced to join the gang in bringing down Bhai Mian, he is the front man of the scheme and eventually gets caught in the struggle. This entire sequence of events starts to feel like an independent short film running simultaneously, leading to another twist where we finally understand Sikander’s plan to end the tyranny of Bhai Mian.
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