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Reviews
Pinky Memsaab (2018)
A screen gem from Pakistan
Shazia Ali Khan's spectacularly assured directorial debut comes in the wake of other equally cutting edge independent films in Pakistan like "Mor", "Manto" and "Cake", all of which have dared to experiment far away from commercial fare exercising instead a much needed creative voice in the revival of this country's cinema. The perceptive screenplay, co-written by the director and Babar Ali, is a series of vignettes about life viewed through the eyes of a few characters. It is also a scathing indictment of Dubai as a city that holds much promise in its glow yet deep down is extremely hollow. From posh Jumeirah to the seedy dance bars of Deira it is a city that sucks you into its rat race which can have amazing highs but can also suddenly fling you down with life becoming a lonely struggle for survival.
The plot revolves around a group of expatriates from the subcontinent from different social strata who work, reside and socialize together. Pinky (Hajira Yamin), a poor divorced woman from the village of Shah Allah Ditta in Pakistan, goes to work as a maid for an affluent Pakistani couple in Dubai. Hasan (Adnan Jaffar) is an investment banker who spends long working hours followed by socializing at night in order to make business contacts. His wife, Mehr (Kiran Malik), simmering with repressed anger at a failed career in writing, feels neglected by her husband, is estranged from her father back home and spends most of her time socializing with catty friends who are career and status conscious. The couple have one son who is neglected by both parents. Into their lives comes Pinky, eager to learn and please in order to earn money to send to her poor family back home. She soon fits into the household as a cook, friend to Santosh (Sunny Hinduja), the driver from Bihar, nanny to the child and as a companion for Mehr who, in her loneliness, responds by teaching Pinky how to read and speak in english and transforms her into a "memsaab" through her attire. During a party at their house a misunderstanding results in the couple's separation with Hasan taking custody of their son and Mehr moving back to Islamabad and reconnecting with her father (Khalid Ahmad) and stepmother (Shamim Hilaly). Pinky moves out of the house and finds another job. Life moves on changing them all forever. The film's last iconic image is of the skyline of nightime Dubai with its deceptive golden lights which not only signify that "all that glitters is not gold", a reflection of what has happened to the characters in the story, but it also signals the birth of a new beginning with ever-changing life taking on new directions for all.
This sensitive and extremely moving film is superbly acted and beautifully shot with great attention to detail in its production design and in its contemporary costumes and accessories designed and chosen by Maryam Ali Khan, who helps to visually balance the scenes in the film through texture and colour using different motifs for each character. Abbas Ali Khan provides an excellent background score. For something different at the cinema which allows you to think about life this is just the film to watch and also feel proud as a Pakistani that we have talent like Shazia Ali Khan to help our cinema reach new heights.
Baar Baar Dekho (2016)
Unusual Romantic Drama with a Time Travel Concept
Baar Baar Dekho (Nitya Mehra, 2016)
A workaholic mathematician (Siddharth Malhotra) gets a rude wake-up call - literally - as he gets to view his dismal life of failure during a relentlessly crazy five days as he wakes up each day to find time - in fact years - have passed. He goes from the day when he is a reluctant groom - on the eve of his marriage to his childhood sweetheart (Katrina Kaif) - to his honeymoon in Thailand to the day his son is born to his divorce then back in time to the vital day he screws up big time with his son and wife and isn't there for them in their time of need to the day his mother dies and he discovers his elderly wife is married to someone else. Left all alone he contemplates his failed life. Then, unlike life, he gets a second chance to relive a particular day in the past when he makes amends. Fascinating time travel concept makes this an unusual romantic drama and it takes a bit of time to get into the groove of the story. However, this Karan Johar production (with help from Farhan Akhtar) lacks that special oomph factor to hit it out of the ballpark - the script writers needed to work on the hackneyed dialogue. Malhotra looks spectacular but is still wobbly in the acting department. Katrina is fast losing her looks - glaringly evident in the closeups where her face looks lived in and washed out - and by now she should have honed up on her acting skills and Hindi diction. She is the worst part of the film. Kudos to the makeup department for making the actors go through various stages from youth to old age. The superb production design of the film subtly shows the changes in the future as the story jumps forward from 2016 to 2018 to 2023 to 2064. Interesting to see former child-star and leading lady Sarika back in a major Bollywood production although she has an underwritten part. The songs are merely OK with the film's hit number - "Kaala Chashma" - presented as an "item-number" during the closing credits. An original concept gone to waste due to weak stars and trite dialogue lacking any fire.