I truly believe that there is nothing better to alleviate stress of any and all kinds then watching a good movie, for some time now Pakistani cinema has seen some sort of a resurgence, not only in terms of the market share and the bragging rights but also in terms of the quality of the films. The trend was started by Khuda Kay Liye, then came Bol and the trickle down effect has seen the local talent from directors, producers to the many up and coming actors both male and female come to the fore and churn out unexpected hits that not only resonate with our culture but are appreciated abroad as well. I was cautiously optimistic going in for Ho Mann Jahan, the film had everything going for it from tremendous marketing with a tie in with the marketing juggernaut that is the brand Coca Cola, to a very talented though somewhat underrated cast. The many vignettes on TV commercials seemed very promising, little did i know that the film will completely blow my expectations out of the water.
It won't be an understatement to say that this is a modern classic by all accounts and i am not saying this because i am a Pakistani, you have to see the film to understand how beautifully its crafted. First and foremost, the three main actors: Mahira Khan, Adeel Hussain and Sheheryar Munawar deserve huge props for their performances, each embodied their character and were pulling out all the stops and seemed to be living their roles. The ever present Bushra Ansari was great as usual and even the cameos by Hamza Ali Abbasi, Zoheb Hassan and Fawad Khan were very welcome and never seemed to be just filler with no substance. The film being a musical had to have good music and although i didn't like every song in the movie, its safe to say that it caters to a variety of tastes in music and does have something for everyone, although Atif Aslam's solo number 'Dil Kare' seemed to stand out amongst others.
The cinematography was superb, there were scenes where the relative newcomers were outclassing the veterans and were pushing all the right buttons to generate a reaction from the audience. The narrative of the film revolves around friendship and so it has its fair share of variety when it comes to plot twists and memorable moments. I was especially impressed by Sheheryar Munawar's performance, he seemed such a natural in his role and it seems that sky is really the limit for his future. Mahira was looking ravishing but that doesn't mean that she was all eye candy, this was probably her most complete performance yet. Adeel Hussain did a very commendable job as well. To conclude, this is a film that simply can't be missed by a Pakistani cinema goer, as for the audiences abroad, if u want to see a film that is representative of Pakistan through and through; packs a punch and is thoroughly entertaining from start to finish without relying on silly item numbers, you can't do much better than this.
