Films are a director-driven medium. Film-making requires an unshakeable amount of dedication and with millions of rupees – not to mention the efforts of hundreds – at stake, the pressure to deliver is immense.
And so, naturally, every debutante director dreams of a making a commercially and critically successful watch. In Pakistan, the latest to join the crop is Sohail Javed who – after directing music videos and commercials for the likes of Ali Haider, Sajjad Ali, Hadiqa Kiani, Junoon, Vital Signs, Fuzon and more – is now gearing up for his first full-length feature film Sorry.
The upcoming film goes on floors in January next year. “I have always wanted to do a feature film and I’m glad that it’s finally happening!” Javed told The Express Tribune. “The story of Sorry isn’t just close to my heart but I have lived through it myself. It’s 100% original – not a remake of any other film.”
The idea behind the films is to stress upon the importance of apologies. “The word ‘sorry’ is the most difficult word to say. If we only realise its importance and use it at the right times, our lives would become so much easier and there would be nothing left repent,” explained Javed.
“The plot of my film is a square of sorts. There are four people, four desires, four losses and four closures. It’s a commercial pot-boiler with all the right ingredients for a masala film.”
According to Javed, Sorry will be shot in various locations across Pakistan with musician Abbas Ali Khan composing its six main songs. The film is slated for release in July or August 2019 and also stars actor Faysal Qureshi in the lead.
“It’s been 18 years since I did my last film,” said Qureshi when asked about Sorry. “The actor inside me has been looking for a wholesome, intelligent script. My fans trust me and whenever I chose to star in a film, it had to be something really big.” he added.
“One fine day, Sohail randomly narrated a script to me while dropping me home and by the end of the ride, I was sold. That script was Sorry. It’s a complete entertainer with lots of romance, song and dance in it.
” Also in the film are actors Aamina Sheikh, Sonya Hussyn and Zahid Ahmed. Sharing her experience of working with Qureshi, Sheikh said, “He was my first hero when I started acting in dramas. Honestly, I have no hesitations in saying that Faisal actually brought my game up.
” The Cake star confessed that she was crying by the time Javed finished had narrating the script to her. “I feel so lucky that film-makers approach me for such multi-layered and complex roles. I’ve always maintained that if a script excites me enough to laugh or cry, it’s a yes for me,” said Sheikh. “With Sorry, we will revive the charm of the 70s on a 70mm screen.”
Hussyn stated, “I feel Sorry has the potential to bring out my best as a performer. My character has shades of grey…it’s dark and crazy at times” while Ahmed added, “I signed on for Sorry before I even knew veterans like Faysal Qureshi and Aamina Sheikh were going to be in it too. I couldn’t have asked for a better debut!”
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