MEDLKAG Review from the Dawn

Mein Ek Din Laut Kay Aaoon Ga, the latest cinematic treat up for grabs, essentially revolves around a typical family setup. But the film has too many songs and twists and turns at regular intervals. As a result, the average person in the audience ends up getting lost in the subtle confusion.

Shot in Mumbai and Hyderabad in India, Mein Ek Din Laut Kay Aaoon Ga boasts of Muhammed Jawaid Fazil as its writer and director, Shoaib Alam as the producer and Jawad Ahmad as the music composer. The cast includes South Indian actress Pooja Kanwal, Ahmed Butt and Nausheen Ali Sardar along with veterans Humayun Saeed, Saba Pervaiz, Javed Sheikh and Nadeem.

Zoheb (Ahmed Butt) runs his late father’s business with the help of Mr Khan (Javed Sheikh). His mother, Mrs Haroon (Saba Pervaiz), is busy preparing for her daughter’s wedding while also on the lookout for a suitable match for her son. Meanwhile, Zoheb chances to meet Sheeza (Pooja Kanwal) and a song or two later, falls madly in love with her and marries her without his mother’s consent. But once she finds out, Sabas character asks her son to bring his wife home. While driving back home with his bride, Zoheb is pushed over a cliff by Sheeza.

Hence, the first twist — Sheeza is actually Mr Khan’s daughter, who had suffered insult at the hands of Zoheb’s father when the latter refused to give him his share in the business. Sheeza married the son to avenge her father’s mistreatment, and the father-daughter duo then force Zoheb’s family out of the house and forcibly take possession of all the property.

But unknown to the Khans, Zoheb survives the fall at the cost of having his face mutilated. Enters his saviour, plastic surgeon Dr Azim (Nadeem), who not only gives him a new face but a new name as well, Babar (Humayun Saeed). But Zoheb’s new identity also has a past and it is only when Sherry (Nausheen Sardar) enters the picture that he finds out about it. After some more unexpected twists, Sherry falls in love with Babar and helps him avenge himself from the likes of Mr Khan and Sheeza, thus leading to a reunion with his family.

With countless loose ends and undefined, disjointed sequences as a result of merciless handled at the editing table, Mein Ek Din Laut Kay Aaoon Ga appears as one big jumble of haphazard scenes put together. For example, the real cause of Mr Haroon’s death is never revealed. Only a fleeting suggestion is made that he may have been murdered. And whatever happened to the Zoheb’s sister’s marriage?

And the action sequences! The scene that appeared most hilarious was when our hero throws a venom-spitting cobra in the swimming pool to kill the villain’s sidekick. The man in question, with the serpent hanging around his neck, goes flying up in the air twice before landing back in the swimming pool with a big splash ... dead!

But let’s mention the few plus points in the movie. For one, the title credits were presented in an innovate manner. The music and songs rendered by Indian singers Alka Yagnik, Sunidhi Chauhan, Asha Bhosle and our very own Jawad Ahmad are melodious and their picturisation is also quite good. All the actors did a good job and for once there was no overacting. Ahmed Butt was his usual expressionless self, Saba Pervaiz suited the role and hers was one of the best performances. Pooja was certainly filmi material since she is a South Indian actress, but the same cannot be said about Nausheen. No doubt she performed quite well and looked glamorous, but somehow she just didn’t fit in comfortably. Nadeem and Javed Sheikh performed very well. Humayun Saeed looked every inch the typical hero. His entry in the film was cheered at by those present in the theatre hall.

Unfortunately, a few good things don’t necessarily make a good movie. For the viewers at the Cineplex in Karachi, mostly comprising young boys and girls, Mein Ek Din Laut Kay Aaoon Ga was a joyride that left them in stitches. Sadly predictable, formula flicks like these ensure that the already suffering Pakistan film industry is left with no will to survive. — Uzma Mazhar