By Maliha Rehman
A big fat desi wedding, a forthright heroine and a cantankerous hero, the hero’s best friend getting smitten with the heroine, a boisterous extended family, colorful shaadi dances … and a djinn or two.
Daghabaaz Dil, the Eid release starring Mehwish Hayat, Ali Rehman Khan and Momin Saqib looks like fun. The two minutes forty seconds long teaser is entertaining, flitting between different plot twists without revealing too much. There’s Zoya, played by Mehwish Hayat, evidently possessed by a supernatural power. Flowers bow their heads when she stares down at them and things fly about. Her family is concerned that she will never be able to get married. Enter Ali Rehman Khan, who is roped in to marry her and isn’t very happy about it initially at least. His best friend, played by Momin Saqib, is with him, cracking jokes, being silly – and deciding that he would also like to have a go at marrying his ‘bhabi-to-be’.
The extended family joins in to the madness, played out by an ensemble that includes Saleem Sheikh, Babar Ali, Tazeen Hussain, Laila Wasti, Beo Zafar Rana and Michelle Mumtaz. There are glimpses of colorful shaadi dances and the building of a romance.
It all looks quite lighthearted but to be honest, we’ve seen desi weddings getting played out to the hilt in past Eid cinematic releases to the point that they no longer intrigue. What will add punch to Daghabaaz Dil is the supernatural element – how, amidst the clashing egos between the hero and the heroine and the madcap family antics, there’s a supposed djinn lurking in the shadows. It’s a clever twist – and one that could probably draw audiences to the cinemas to watch the only major Pakistani film releasing this Eid. There has been a perpetual influx of comic horror Bollywood movies in recent times that have mostly done well at the box office. It was about time that local filmmakers also tested the waters with this genre in family-friendly entertainers.
What will also draw audiences are the actors – the cast is an interesting mix of popular young actors and illustrious older ones. Mehwish Hayat has an impressive penchant for hitting gold at the cinema box office and Ali Rehman Khan and Momin Saqib have their own fan followings who might be buying tickets just to see them. Wajahat Rauf directs – and given his prowess with film as well as TV, one knows from experience that he knows how to entertain very well.
Nevertheless, history is testament to many star-studded Pakistani film releases that have been preceded by exciting trailers but failed to leave an impression. The initial crowd of cinema-goers will put their faith in Daghaabaz Dil based on the trailer – but in the days that follow, the audience will file in based on word-of-mouth reviews. There have also been times in the past when very promising, well-conceived films have suffered due to disjointed editing and a duration that goes on and on. Having endured these unfortunate experiences only recently, one hopes that Wajahat Rauf – and his co-producers Shazia Wajahat and Badar Ikram – have edited the narrative with a gimlet eye, keeping the story crisp and the monologues short.
Eid is a festive time and an entertaining Eid release can haul in ticket sales at the cinematic box office. Daghabaaz Dil looks great – let’s hope it becomes an Eid holiday highlight this time!
What do you think?