Main hoon Shahid Afridi- Zamana bolay Boom Boom!

Pakistani cinema has struck, and it has struck hard. With the release of ‘Main hoon Shahid Afridi’ and the overpowering response that it has received, it wouldn’t be any embellishment to say that Pakistani cinema is FINALLY back on track. We had been hearing about efforts being made for the revival of cinema in Pakistan, for quite some time now, but barely had we witnessed anything  happening (except for Shoaib Mansoor’s work), but now it seems that people in the film industry are in fact talking business.

I am neither a film critic nor a movie buff. I know nothing about IMDb ratings. I am just an ordinary person who went to cinema to see what sort of movies were being made in her country, and came out of the movie house, bursting with pride. The first thing that came to mind after watching ‘Main hoon Shahid Afridi’ was, does Chak de India even come close to what we have produced? When it comes to Shahrukh Khan vs the REAL Khan (Shahid Khan Afridi), we all know who emerges victorious. Anything that had Shahid Afridi’s name associated with it, was bound to attract audience. But it was Humayun Saeed’s high quality cinematic production that led to the movie being a blockbuster.

‘Main hoon Shahid Afridi’ plays with your emotions till the very end, when the credits start to roll in. Resentment, tension, frustration, thrill, ecstasy- Main hoon Shahid Afridi is a package of all. From broken hearts to last ball sixer (oh how I wanted to hoot when he hit that!), Main hoon Shahid Afridi has it all. It makes you shed tears when hell breaks loose on Humayun Saeed, and it makes you want to swing your hands up in the air when his team wins.

Be it Humayun Saeed’s thunder-striking punch lines or Ismail Tara’s self-deprecating comedy, MHSA has been brilliantly scripted. All kudos to Vasay Chaudhry. The movie also has some pithy one liners, like ‘cricket khelni hai, milaad nahi manani’ and ‘udher deewar-e-Cheen mashhoor hai, idher deewar-e-teen’.

MHSA lacks entrancing music though. None of the songs are captivating. Of all the songs, one only remembers ‘jera vi ae aande’ when coming out of the cinema. The rest are simply forgettable. Shani and Kami could have done a better job.

In MHSA, Humayun Saeed proves why he is still one of the best actors in the industry. To be honest, he is even better than Moammar Rana or Shaan! Maybe it’s time to reconsider who the real hero of Lollywood is. And it’s definitely time to rename our industry! Not Lollywood, please. The big guns of the industry should come up with an enhanced and widely acceptable name.

If you are a cricket fan, MHSA is highly recommended for you. If you think Lagaan and Chak de India were the best sports-oriented movies ever produced in India-Pakistan, I suggest it’s time you think again. Believe me when I say, it beats Bollywood flicks any day. MHSA is all set to give Chennai Express a run for its money. It gets full five stars from me.

Ladies and gentlemen, Pakistani film industry is here to stay!

Also published here: http://blogs.thenews.com.pk/blogs/2013/09/main-hoon-shahid-afridi-zamana-bolay-boom-boom/