Cinema revival continues in Pakistan: Another theater opens in Attock

The expansion of movie-theaters in the country continues, and it seems the pace is picking up. Just a few weeks back, we announced that IMGC was set to open a 146 seat new theater, the IMGC Cineplex in Sargodha. Now, a revamped cinema has been launched in the cantonment area of Attock city after a gap of nearly three decades.

Called the PAC cinema, the theater houses 350 seats and features Dolby 7.1 surround sound. Previously an older cinema, it was refurbished to a public auditorium during the collapse of the movie exhibition business during the 90s.

Following the recent upturn in movie theater revenues in the country, the management took a decision in 2018 to revert it to a cinema, albeit a modern digital one. Renovations, which include addition of a modern sound system, luxury reclining seats and improved décor, were completed during the latter half of the year.

The PAC cinema saw a soft launch in November, exhibiting a mix of foreign and Pakistani content on its single screen. However, the management stated that in the absence of movie going culture in Attock and accessibility issues to the theater’s locality, the response was rather muted. Following a public information campaign, which saw promotions on local cable networks as well as on billboards, audience turnout has improved.

Previously, movie buffs in Attock had to travel for two hours by road to get to the nearest cinema in Islamabad-Rawalpindi. The addition of a modern screen has made the experience of going to a theater more affordable and convenient.

While this is a step in the right direction, more such initiatives are required. Currently, Pakistan has one of the lowest screen density in the world. The figure is a woefully inadequate one of 0.8 screens per 10 million people, against 10 in India, 90 in China and 124 in the US. While reports indicate that the new Pakistani government is interested in drastically improving the number of screens, little progress has been visible on ground to substantiate those claims and screen growth remains slow.

Saad Sharif, manager at Odeon Multiplex cinemas, believes the non-optimal screen growth is attributable to the high risk and high investment nature of cinema exhibition business that relies in large part on imported software. Emphasizing that indigenous content is the way to go as it can reduce the risk involved, he said “Government and local movie producers need to sit down (and) seriously find ways (to) facilitate film makers and investors to produce more films so that our dependency on foreign content is minimized.”

Roughy 60% of Pakistan 200 million plus population is rural, and there is much scope in this untapped market that also includes smaller cities and semi-rural areas. The government needs to provide tax breaks and ease regulations in the licensing process for cinemas to further incentivize establishment of theaters in these areas. With the success of new movie theaters in towns such as Mandi-Bahauddin, Sargodha and now Attock, it is hoped more investors will seize the opportunity to accelerate the growth of cinemas in the country.

"I won’t spare anyone," Meera and manager slam the makers of Delhi Gate

Replacing actors in films isn’t a one-off incident; the trend has been banging on since Lollywood came into being. Whether it is the problem of date or the idea of director, there is no telling why actors in films get replaced with other actors.

Nadeem Cheema's next film 'Delhi Gate' recently witnessed a major shuffle in the lead cast. Meera the Lollywood film star widely regarded as 'one of the most bankable actress of her time,' has been ousted from the film. Meera was initially signed as the female lead and was later replaced by model turned actress Roma Michael. The reasons for her exit were not clear, it was rumored that she was replaced even before the production started. However, the makers of Dehli Gate have made it clear that Meera was never a part of the project.

We naturally gave Meera a call for details, she remained unavailable for comment as she is busy shooting her upcoming flick 'Baaji'. However, her manager 'Hassan Syed' made some shocking revelations in an exclusive conversation on Meera's behalf, with HIP in Pakistan which brought to the table many issues we never saw coming.

"We have been cheated by the makers of Delhi Gate. Cheema production previous venture 'Geo Sar Utha Kay' was a complete washout at the box office therefore in order to get publicity this time around they signed Meera just to have a big name associated with the project. They came up with a tailor made plan by organizing an opening ceremony for the film and insisted Meera to attend. She was in Dubai at that point of time but she somehow managed her busy schedule and came to Karachi to attend the event," said the representative.

He continued: "My suspicion and disgust over their foul play grew even more when they started to ignore my phone calls. Adding more to the horror, they have started the shoot as well."


The replacement episode has left Hassan in a bitter mood. Hassan also happens to be Meera's cousin, he further said: "We are related with the Cheema family and it was indeed a big shock for us to be treated with utmost unprofessional behavior. Forget about anything else they didn't even apologize for their hasty retreat, they seem to have no remorse. One thing is for sure, I'm not going to spare anyone and these people will pay the price for their ruthless attitude"

 Will Roma Michael prove to be a compensatable replacement in place of Meera? Only time will tell.

One can't deny the fact that Meera is one distinctive name who literally stood tall with her style, earnest performances, ethereal beauty and box office success. What is remarkable about her rise is that she never had any godfathers in the industry.

She will be seen with full force in her next film 'Baaji' which revolves around the life of a once successful film actress whose career is on the decline, the film also stars Osman Khalid Butt, Ali Kazmi, Mohsin Abbas Haider Amna Ilyas, Nisho and Nayyar Ejaz.

Reema Khan and Shaan Shahid Are Reuniting For A Film

 Although the Pakistani cinema has all but revived and TV actors are busying themselves by appearing in movies, the truth of the matter is that they all lack that star power which actors like Shaan and Reema used to posses. Watching them on the big screen was a delight because these stars were larger than life and just knew how to lure in the audience.

Ever since Punjabi films stopped being produced, we missed Shaan and Reema on screen. However, our wish to see the magical two on screens is perhaps coming true. Both Shaan and Reema are ready to reunite on the big screen and create the same magic they made in films like Bulandi , Chakori and Aag to name a few .

According to sources it seems the duo will be appearing in a film as announced by the actor / director himself through his social media where he posted a shadowed picture of himself and Reema using the caption 2020 and a film camera logo attached with it.

So how do we know its Reema? Well it was Shaan's wife Amina Bandey who tagged the actress in the comment box below confirming the fact that they were pairing up once again

News has it that Shaan might not be at the director's seat for this one and we for one can't wait to learn more about this project as Shaan and Reema are our all time favourite actors and to see them on the big screen again would be nothing short of a treat.

Pinky Memsaab Gets Selected For The 21st UK Asian Film Festival

While the major part of Pakistani film industry is thriving on commercial films. right there from time to time it is important to move away from a typical masala flick and make something which is artistic and makes the audiences think for a bit . Now where Pinky Memsaab upon its release may not have enjoyed such a fantastic run it has officially been selected for the UK Asian Film Festival which we are very happy to hear about.

Taking to the social media, the team announced the news and were naturally thrilled about it. Appearing as a closing night film on 6th April 2019, the movie will also be showing in Leicester, Edinburgh and Manchester.

In an earlier conversation with BBC Urdu, director and writer Shazia Ali Khan said, "Basically the story is about two women which is a crime in Pakistan, as it is a totally female-centric film and the two form a strange bond with one another. The young girl comes from a village in Punjab and lands in Dubai to work as a maid in the house of an investment banker, both are Pakistani. Now in the older generation there was defined line between a servant and a master but the new generation is confused and that line has become grey so the problems which come with this mindset, the accepting yet not accepting element is what the film will explore."

Hajra Yamin and Kiran Malik, we would like to congratulate the entire team on such brilliant news and wish them all the very best for the UK Asian Film Festival.

Hamza Ali Abbasi shuts down the trolls on The Legend Of Maula Jatt

The trailer of “The legend of Maula jatt” itself is a great answer for all the trolls who have been throwing on the movie since so long, apparently the movie release is taking so long, may be this was the reason we haven’t heard anything from Abbasi himself on the trolls, as the efforts speaks itself.

zBut, recently a comment over Imran Ismail’s tweet made Abbasi speak up and made everyone speechless as he usually does.

He mentioned, for those who think film industry is a waste of time, that how media industry is important for the growth of our economy and its role in generating employment in the country.

While talking to Something Haute, he says that he even take criticism as a compliment when people say Maula Jatt seems like Game of Thrones and Gladiator, because it shows that now we are up to that level where people are comparing a Pakistani movie with Hollywood’s A-grade projects.

Moreover, he also cleared the air by adding that there is no legal order regarding the ban on the movie due to any copyright issue, the film is releasing and he is expecting a huge response globally.

Sonya Hussyn exits Faysal Quraishi starrer 'Sorry'

Local starlet Sonya Hussyn has stepped down from her role in director Sohail Javed’s Sorry: A Love Story because she disliked her character, reported Express News.

A source shared that two weeks ago, Hussyn expressed some concerns over her character in the film. However, the director refused to pay any heed to the Aangan starlet’s suggestions. Following this, the shooting of the movie was suspended.

Produced under the banner of SJ Films and Faysal Quraishi films, Sorry: A Love Story is a romantic drama, co-written by Asma Nabeel.

It explores the ups and downs of love – finding it, losing it and then finding it again. Along with Faysal, the star-studded cast includes Aamina Sheikh and Zahid Ahmed. Other notable stars from the industry will also be seen as supporting actors in the film.

Sonya is currently shooting for the Farhan Saeed and Feroze Khan-starrer, Tich Button. The Qasim Yar helmed project is produced by Urwa Hocane.

Soon after Sonya decided to opt out of the project, another top actor was cast for the role, whose name remains undisclosed.

Sorry’s original score will be produced by renowned singer Abbas Ali Khan. Other musicians will also be a part of the original soundtrack album. The film is to be shot in both Pakistan and international locations.

It was supposed to go on floors in early 2019 and expected to release the same year. However, it is unclear when the film will begin shooting.

Mehwish Hayat, Zara Noor Abbas starrer film will release this year," director Wajahat Rauf

One movie which has left us wanting to see it on the big screen soon is the Wajahat Rauf directorial that stars the stunning Mehwish Hayat and equally gorgeous Zara Noor Abbas in the lead. With the shooting currently going on and the first spell wrapped up, we got in touch with the ace producer/director to know more about his upcoming project which literally has everyone's undivided attention towards it.

Looking like a film not to be missed, talking about which Wajahat revealed, "Its a combination of comedy, drama and romance all rolled in to one which will provide family entertainment for all."

With the male cast yet to be announced officially by Wajahat, rumours are a float that Asad Siddiqui and Azfar Rehman will be seen in the project too.

Sharing more information, Wajahat Rauf also mused on the probable release of his film as well. "It will release this year on either of the two Eids but at the moment I do not know which one we will decide upon," added the ace director.

However, with Eid being a favourite time of every producer to release their films, we hope that the special holiday does not become a clutter and each film is able to enjoy their run in the cinemas without harming each another's business.

Now another thing which had been wandering in our minds was the fact that why was Karachi Se Lahore 3 put aside for this particular project as the last time we reported it was understood that the much loved comedy was in the pipeline.

 Here's what Wajahat had to say about it, "For the time being it has been shelved as I felt that the third part would just be a repeat of the first two with the same characters and twists in the plot."

Wajahat has not given up on Karachi Se Lahore 3 and he will make it when he feels the time is right as at present he wants to give the audiences something new to enjoy. Since having also ventured in to web series with Enaaya which also stars Mehwish Hayat, we have high hopes from this Wajahat Rauf directorial and look forward to his latest project soon. Both Mehwish and Zara are phenomenal actors whom we are sure will make the movie worth watching.