As any well versed movie-goer in Pakistan knows, cinema season arrives just after Eid. Not on a random Friday in August. But with the Usman Rizvi directorial Mastaani having finally hit the big screens on August 23, Amna Ilyas and Affan Waheed, who star as Alia and her love interest Shakeel, respectively, explained on the FHM podcast exactly why this cheerful rom-com is a not-to-be-missed experience for any movie lover.
‘Mastaani’: both fun and educational
“This is a very interesting film,” began Amna. “It’s both a rom-com and a thriller – people will love it! It’s a family film and everyone from all age groups can watch it.”
If Amna is to be believed – and as someone who knows the script extensively, she should certainly be believed – Mastaani promises to both educate and entertain at the same time. Torn between wanting to sing the film’s praises but not revealing too much in the process, Amna hinted that the film would especially appeal to women and anyone who subscribes to the Gen Z ideals of focusing on pertinent issues of the day.
“You will see the traumas women go through in Pakistan,” she explained. “We have highlighted it in terms of domestic violence.”
But if the dark murky waters of domestic violence seem off-putting and not exactly fun to watch, Amna put those fears to rest. “This film – the packaging of the film – is that everything is told and shot in a very entertaining way,” she promised. And for anyone rolling their eyes at being hit on the head with a hammer via a meaningful message, Amna added, “It is not at all preachy! There are four issues in this film that everyone will be able to relate to. It is smooth and light-hearted. The family scenes are hilarious!”
To Amna, a film being light-hearted is of utmost importance. In her eyes, beating down a weary audience with a heavy message will only leave them feeling depleted after sitting through a whole film – which is not something any entertainer wants.
“I think it’s so important for a film to have a message but also be entertaining,” she noted. “If you convey a message in a dark way, you won’t succeed. Cinema is a medium in which you can educate the masses – so why not make it entertaining as well?”
Mastaani may have fulfilled Amna’s criteria for endearing entertainment, but that does not mean it is also totally free from tossing out offence. Amna warned audiences that her protagonist Alia has no filter at all when it comes to political correctness and is almost “jahil” by today’s standards.
“Alia is very offensive,” noted Amna. “She is very judgemental, pretty much like how people used to be before. She will call someone ‘kala’ or ‘mota’ without giving it a second thought.”
A solid script filmed in the cold
Affan, who introduced his character has the only person in the film who can “calm down” Alia, confessed right off the bat that an engaging script is the one thing that pulls him towards any acting project. According to him, Mastaani fulfils that criteria – in spades.
“It is an excellent script,” he assured audiences. “And the fact that my character is the only one who can calm down Alia is a tribute to all the people who have calmed me down in real life. Plus we shot in Pakistan itself – we shot in Islamabad, Pindi, and Kashmir – although we had to shoot summer scenes in winter!”
Scenic beauty regardless, shooting in winter wearing summer clothes proved to be a challenge that Amna is not likely to forget any time soon.
“I can’t even tell you how cold it was,” she recalled. “I was wearing linen clothes and I could see my breath fog up when we were delivering our dialogues. I ended up having to dub all my lines because I could barely speak, it was so cold!”
Whether the audience picks up on the plunging temperatures as they watch the film remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: when it comes to films, picky audiences want more than just a beautiful location, an entertaining message and an excellent script. What audiences really want is a film that does not look like a TV drama.
“The thing about this film is, it looks like a film,” said Amna. “Usually we get complaints that the films we do look like a TV show, so the best part about Mastaani is that it looks like a cinema frame.”
The simple reason for this is that director Usman Rizvi – who also penned the script – has never worked in television, and is thus safe from the pitfalls of imposing television standards onto cinema.
“Our director has never shot a drama – his passion is film,” Amna pointed out. Circling back to the high entertainment factor prevalent in Mastaani, Amna added, “There are four songs in the film, and there is a dance number. Everyone who has watched the trailer says it looks like a film, so that is a winner for me.”
Musical numbers, hilarious family scenes, an unapologetic yet educational female protagonist filmed amid the backdrop of local scenic beauty – could a Pakistani film lover ask for anything else? Time will tell.
