Film Producers Association Welcomes New Governing Body

The Pakistan Film Producers Association’s (PFPA) annual election was held in Lahore in which the organization elected its new representatives for the year 2019 to 2020.

The first meeting of the new governing body was held in a hotel in Lahore right after the ceremony. The representatives discussed issues faced by the current film Industry while briefing about their future plans to empower the discourse altogether.

Sheikh Amjad Rashed, Distribution Club's CEO and a very famous producer was elected as the new Chairman of PFPA while Sangeeta Begum was elected as the Senior Vice Chairman. Momina Duraid was elected as the Vice-Chairman.

The best part about the ceremony was that so many emerging and talented producers took part in it. Not only were they invited for the occasion but they were also included in the governing body of the organisation.

Some of the names of the producers include Sarmad Khoosat, Sarmad Sultan Khosat, Hassan Zia Ameen, Wajahat Rauf, Chaudary Javed Warriach, M Khalid Ali, Zulifqar Mana, Irfan Malik, Haji Aslam and Azizullah Khan.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's latest animated film is called Sitara: Let Girls Dream

Two-time Academy and three-time Emmy Award-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy revealed her latest animated film Sitara: Let Girls Dream, which opened in theaters in New York on September 23rd, 2019.

Written and directed by Sharmeen, Sitara: Let Girls Dream takes the audience on a journey through the old city of Lahore where a 14-year old girl, Pari, dreams of becoming a pilot.

Her story is told through the perspective of her six-year-old sister Mehr, who is unaware of the traditions and barriers that lay in the path of women from her family.

It is a story about the burdens of a family and the impact of a culture where girls are still struggling to fully realise their dreams. Sitara is a silent film with no dialogue, which embodies this struggle.

"Young girls everywhere still face considerable hurdles in achieving their dreams. Sitara embodies that struggle, it is a story of Pari, a young girl who dreams of becoming a pilot and is robbed of it."

"For me, Sitara is more than a film, it is a movement that we want to start across the world, that encourages parents to invest in their girls’ dreams, encouraging them to free their girls from the burdens of early marriage," said Obaid-Chinoy.

The film’s executive producers include Gloria Steinem, the iconic women’s rights activist, and Darla Anderson, the Academy Award Winning producer of Coco and Toy Story 3.

Every year, 12 million girls around the world are married off as child brides denying them the right to education and an opportunity to fulfill their dreams.

Parey Hut Love 6th Weekend Boxoffice Collections Pakistan: Rock Steady

Sheheryar Munawar and Maya Ali starrer Parey Hut Love continues steady run in its 6th weekend at the domestic market. The film had a good hold this weekend aided by no potential release as the numbers of 6th weekend are quite better than the numbers of the 5th weekend.

As per estimates, Parey Hut Love has roped in around PKR 6 million in its 6th weekend taking its grand total till now a little over PKR 214 million. The film is already highest grossing film for the actor Sheheryar Munawar whereas it will hit the coveted PKR 220 million over the next weekend.

The film is second highest grossing film for Maya Ali after her Teefa In Trouble which released last year. Below is Parey Hut Love’s estimated boxoffice breakdown till now in Pakistan.

Week One (11 Days).. 150 million
Week Two.. 32 million
Week Three.. 15 million
Week Four.. 5 million
Week Five.. 6 million 6th
Weekend.. 6 million

Parey Hut Love is 5th highest grossing film for ARY Films in Pakistan. There was no potential release this Friday which pushed film this weekend and there isn’t any potential release for few more weeks and it will be interesting to see where the film will end its run in coming days.Total.. 214 million

Superstar 6th Weekend Boxoffice Collections Pakistan: Steady

Mahira Khan and Bilal Ashraf starrer Superstar has continued its steady run in the sixth weekend at the domestic market. Benefited from no potential release this weekend, Superstar managed to collect better this weekend compared to the last weekend.

As per estimates, Superstar raked in around PKR 5.5-6 million this Weekend hence taking its grand total beyond PKR 208 million. The film will be hitting PKR 210 million mark over the weekdays.

Superstar is already highest grossing film for all the actors involved. The film had already become highest grossing film for Mahira Khan overtaking Ho Mann Jahaan. The film is also highest grossing film for Bilal Ashraf overtaking his 2017’s Eid-ul-fitr release Yalghaar.

The film is second highest grossing film for Hum Films only behind their Parwaaz Hai Junoon which released last year on Eid ul Azha and went on to collect well over PKR 350 million.

There is no potential release for few more weeks and Superstar should continue it steady run in coming weeks too and it will be interesting to see where the film ends its run.

'The Donkey King' becomes first Pakistani film to release in Spain

KARACHI: After ruling Pakistani cinemas and conquering Korea last month, The Donkey King, the highest grossing Pakistani animated film directed by Aziz Jindani, is ready to extend its reign to Spain and Catalonia, stated a press release.

With a wide theatrical release in one or two but three different dubbed versions; Spanish, Catalan and Basque, the film will release under three different titles of El Rey Burro, El Rei Ruc, and Asto Erregea.

This is the first Pakistani film ever to release in Spain. The film will premiere on Oct 4, 2019 with more than 50 screens on release across all key cities such as Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Sevilla, Malaga among others.

Jindani, the man behind The Donkey King, was overjoyed. “We are ecstatic that The Donkey King has found resonance with global cine distributors,” the film-maker shared in a statement. “It is proof that a good story, grounded in universal insight, has the ability to transcend boundaries and geographical barriers.”

He further added, “However, we are not done yet. Spain se aagay jehan aur bhi hain (there is a long way ahead after Spain too).”

The Donkey King is an animated comedy film that was released in Pakistan in October, 2018. The film features the voices of Jan Rambo, Ismail Tara, Hina Dilpazeer, Ghulam Mohiuddin and Jawed Sheikh, and grossed Rs 24 million after running in the cinemas for 25 weeks.

Upcoming film 'Daal Chawal’ to pay tribute to police, armed forces

LAHORE : The local cinema circuit is busy preparing for the release of upcoming film Daal Chawal, which is schedule to hit screens across Pakistan on October 4. An advertisement campaign for the film is in full swing in Lahore, where Daal Chawal has been shot, and exhibitors are expecting a positive response from the audience, as always

Other than television and social media marketing, the team behind Daal Chawal is also planning to undertake different activities to attract the public. It must be noted that the theme of the film is patriotism and the sacrifices our police and armed forces make in their fight against terrorism. The team is hoping to cash in on the nationalistic spirit of the Pakistani youth and lead them to watch the film. Daal Chawal also offers a tribute to the bravery of the armed forces and shows them as being everready to take on any external forces working as terrorists or against the country.

Young, up-and-coming artists, namely Ahmad Sufiyan, Momina Iqbal, Salman Shahid, amongst others, make up the and will be seen opposite Lollywood veteran Shafqat Cheema in the film. Daal Chawal has been produced under the banner of Fun Club with Awaid Khalid serving as the director. Renowned Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has sung a song, along with Maria Meer and Jabbas Abbas.

A major portion of the upcoming production has been shot in various locations across Lahore, especially those where some terrorist activity took place in the past. Interestingly, the producer of Daal Chawal is DIG Akbar Nasir Khan, who has penned both the scripts and the dialogues of the film. In fact, he has also composed the music.

“Daal Chawal is a complete family film, produced using modern technology and equipment,” Khan told The Express Tribune. “Our team is well aware of international trends in films and made sure to try to live up to those with Daal Chawal. It has everything…script, technology, music, comedy and a lesson to learn.”

It is pertinent to mention that Khan is also serves as an Incharge for the Safe City Pakistan Plan and has previously written a lot about the services of police and army.

This time around, he decided to make a whole film on the topic. “Although patriotism is the central theme, Daal Chawal also sheds light on some of the issues faced by the youth in our country and by society also in general,” he added.

Actor/Director Shaan Shahid To Release His Upcoming Film Zarrars Character Teasers Soon

Shaan Shahid is undoubtedly the most loved actor in Pakistan who has been ruling the film industry for over two decades. Not only is he known for being passionate about his career, he can easily be categorized as the pride of Pakistan because of his patriotism and we for one always want to know what is he up to next as we too are his die-hard fan.

So with him having given us Arth 2 recently to enjoy which had remarkable songs to its credit, it is his other movie Zarrar which has kept us wanting to view it soon.

With the release date not known as yet, it was yesterday that we came across the update that Shaan was all set to release the characters teasers of the film soon as he tweeted,

Now what we know so far is that besides Shaan , the film also stars Kiran Malik and the London-based Adnan Butt who will mark his debut as an antagonist.

Besides directing, Shaan is also the writer as well as the lead for Zarrar which is an action thriller, being produced by 5th Dimension Films in partnership with Blue Orca Pvt Ltd. This is also the first time that the UK's Timothy Hallam Wood will be the Director of Photography (DOP) for a Pakistani film.

With the post-production of Zarrar done in Pinewood which is UK's biggest studio, we are sure Shaan is going to give us a film which will make Pakistan immensely proud of him yet again.

Urwa Hocane, Farhan Saeed to share screen space in 'Tich Button'

KARACHI: Urwa Hocane has been quite excited about her debut production Tich Button. And she has every right to be.

The starlet is bringing together four of Pakistan’s popular stars under one frame with the upcoming film. Her husband Farhan Saeed, model Iman Ali, actors Sonya Hussyn and Feroze Khan will star in Hocane’s project.

However, according to the latest buzz, the Rangreza beauty herself will be appearing in a cameo in the film too. She will be featured in a song.

While Hocane didn’t say much about the cameo in Tich Button earlier, she spilled the beans about her upcoming production. “Tich Button is a romantic drama,” Hocane previously told The Express Tribune. “I won’t say it’s a rom-com though as there’s some action in it as well.

I think I would call it situational comedy.” “We started working on this project a year ago. The script is written by Faiza Iftikhar (who has also penned hit serials such as Sheher-e-Zaat and Matae-e-Jan),” the 27-year-old had added. “It was our (Farhan and my) baby.

We just came up with the idea of the story in our home and it just made sense for him to step into the film industry with Tich Button.”

The film is in the final spell of completion as the makers gear up for a 2020 release. Directed by Qasim Ali Mureed, Tick Button will mark Khan’s return to the big screen after Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hay. This will be his second feature film. Ali will be back to silver screen after four years.

She was last seen in 2015’s Mah-e-Mir. It will be the third film for Hussyn after Moor and Azaadi.

Parey Hut Love Becomes Highest Grossing Pakistani Film Worldwide for 2019

Sheheryar Munawar starrer Parey Hut Love has emerged Highest grossing film of 2019 globally for Pakistan. The ARY Film’s release Parey Hut Love had crossed PKR 250 million mark globally last week. The film saw steep falls after the extended opening week in Pakistan but the numbers have been steadier since then.

As per estimates, Parey Hut Love has roped in around PKR 270 million worldwide by the end of 3rd weekend which makes it highest grossing Pakistani film for the year globally. Before Eid ul Azha the highest grossing Pakistani film worldwide was Wrong No 2.

Below is the film’s estimated worldwide breakdown by the end of the weekend.

 Pakistan.. 193 million
Overseas.. 75+ million
Total.. 268+ million

Mansha Pasha, Junaid Khan are pairing up for a film

KARACHI: Singer turned actor Junaid Khan is all set to make his debut opposite Laal Kabootar star Mansha Pasha on the big screen with the feature film Kahay Dil Jidhar. The film has been directed by Jalal Rumi and is being produced by Kamran Bari, who is also playing a character in film. Besides the duo, veteran actor Sajid Hasan will also be seen in the film.

“It’s too early to give out too much details on the project, however I can say that I have been offered a lot of films since my cameo appearance in Bin Roye in 2014 and only signed the dotted line on Kahey Dil Jidhar as the story is extremely strong, and the team including my co-star Mansha and director Jalal are professionals, who know and understand the craft,” said Khan.

Talking about the character he will be essaying, he shared, “I am playing the character of a policeman, and the film holds a strong message about the issues that plague our society.

” Khan continued, “I was waiting for the right team and a good script to work with. So finally took the leap of faith and decided to cross over to the big screen.

” The film has begun shooting and is expected to be completed in October this year.

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.

Sherdil Returns To Cinema This September 6th

The movie that was released on the 23rd of March. 'Sherdil' is a patriotic Pakistani action film produced by NK Pictures. It is written and produced by Nomaan Khan, directed by Azfar Jafri, and stars Mikaal Zulfiqar, Hassan Niazi, Armeena Rana Khan and Sabeeka Imam. The film revolves around Pakistan Air Force.

The movie came at an amazing time when people were already celebrating the forces for having shot down the indian plane that dared to trespass Pakistan's territory.

Sherdil was also praised for Mikaal Zulfiqar's acting as a PAF Pilot. The movie was loved by the audience for its subject matter.

We have a great news for HIP followers, The movie Sherdil will be showing on screens on the 6th of September, you can enjoy these patriotic pieces on Defence Day which is celebrated in Pakistan as national day to commemorate the sacrifices made by Pakistani soldiers in defending its borders.

Parey Hut Love Two Weeks Boxoffice Collections Pakistan

Sheheryar Munawar and Maya Ali starrer Parey Hut Love continues steady run in its second week at Pakistani boxoffice. The film had seen stupendous numbers during Eid period. The film did see some falls over the weekdays of first week but week two has seen a quite decent hold

As per estimates, Parey Hut Love has registered around PKR 32 million in its second week taking its aggregate till now around PKR 182 million. The film saw a fall of around 75% compared to first seven days which is a quite decent hold considering first seven days had a extended weekend including four Eid holidays.

The film already became highest grossing film of Sheheryar Munawar over the weekend beating Ho Mann Jahaan. Below is estimated boxoffice breakdown of Parey Hut Love till now in Pakistan.

Week One (11 Days).. 150 million
Week Two.. 32 million
Total.. 182 million.

Parey Hut Love has seen a strong hold on its third Friday and will cross PKR 200 million mark in its third Week becoming first film for Sheheryar Munawar to hit PKR 200 million mark.