Upcoming: 'Maalik' fiasco forces Jamal Shah to tread carefully with 'Revenge of the Worthless'

KARACHI: Since its inception Jamal Shah’s directorial debut, Revenge of the Worthless, has had a troubled life. From a lengthy production schedule to a turbulent post-production phase, all that went wrong for the movie cannot be rectified. However, to avoid any more mishaps, Shah is ready to submit the movie to the censor boards a month before its official release date.

The production team behind the movie has become more cautious following the Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC) ban on Maalik three weeks into its release. With Eidul Fitr marked as a potential release date for Revenge of the Worthless, Shah revealed he will be submitting the movie to the censor boards in the next few days. “After the Maalik ban, we want to be careful and don’t want to take any unnecessary risks,” he told The Express Tribune. “We will submit our movie early so that any changes or cuts that the censor board recommends can be made beforehand. If we keep it for later, it will just become difficult near the movie’s release.” When asked about his stance regarding the controversial ban on Maalik, the director-actor refused to take a side. “I firmly believe that movies should not be banned but then again it is also the responsibility of film-makers to retain objectivity and originality,” said Shah. Although Revenge of the Worthless has been delayed on multiple occasions in the past, Shah is confident about releasing the film on the sealed date. Initially slated to hit cinema screens in spring of 2015, the film’s release was pushed back to March 2016, before eventually settling for Eidul Fitr.

Previous delays were mainly due to the problems the movie encountered during its post-production. The team had to restart the editing process after they lost the near-finished cut of the film during a system crash. Given that Shah’s film takes inspiration from the 2009 ‘insurgency’ in Swat, he is aware that the movie will be examined closely by the censor board. “I am confident about our product because we have made a very objective film,” he elaborated. “We aren’t trying to set an agenda or anything, it is just a simple movie about our land.”

To ensure that his movie is appropriate for all sorts of audiences, Shah has gone a step further and already conducted test-screenings with different groups.

Revenge of the Worthless will face a clashing release with the Salman Khan-starrer Sultan. However, unfretted by the competition, Shah revealed the decision was made after much deliberation. “Revenge [of the Worthless] can actually benefit from it by getting the footfall fromSultan.”

Directed by Jamal Shah, Revenge of the Worthless features a host of notable television actors including Firdous Jamal, Maira Khan, Ayub Khoso and Shamil Khan. The movie is primarily in Urdu, featuring parts in Pashto and English. It will be distributed by Summit Entertainment.

Following the movie’s release, Shah plans to commence work on his next project which is likely to be a romantic film. The director will make a formal announcement regarding his upcoming project in the coming days.