- 09 Mar 2011
Bol. Finally - 24 Apr 2011
I had to learn Hindi like a student: Saif Ali Khan - 25 Apr 2011
Scream 4: I scream, you scream
- RSS
- Today's Paper
- Subscribe
- beta 2.1
Alerts
Waar: Pakistan’s next blockbuster?
Bilal Lashari marks his film debut with “Waar” slated for release in June.
The shooting of Bilal Lashari’s first feature film Waar. PHOTO: PUBLICITY
KARACHI:
2011 seems to be slated as the year of the rebirth of Pakistani cinema. With all the excitement about the imminent release of Shoaib Mansoor’s Bol, the industry is now abuzz with news of Bilal Lashari’s first feature-length venture Waar, which is currently in post production. The film has been produced by MindWorks Media and has been shot in collaboration with Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The film has been receiving a lot of attention due to rumours of a release by Warner Bros. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) slates the release date as June 1, 2011 and the estimated budget is reported to be a whopping $2,000,000 (Rs170, 000,000).
The director of the film, Bilal Lashari, is well known in the industry. A graduate of the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, USA, where he earned a BFA in Motion Pictures and Television in 2008, Lashari has already made a name for himself in directing music videos. He has worked with top artists and bands like Abrarul Haq, Atif Aslam, Meekal Hassan Band, Jal and EP.
In 2008, Lashari won ‘Best Music Video Director’ at the Lux Style Awards and ‘Best Pop Video’ at the MTV Pakistan Music Video Awards for “Sajni”. He has also directed the popular video “Chal Bulleya” for Meekal Hassan Band.
Lashari also worked as assistant director for Shoaib Mansoor during the filming of Khuda Kay Liye.
Waar (to strike) is an action/thriller and drama film. It has been written by Hassan Waqas Rana and stars Pakistan’s actors, Shaan Shahid and Shamoon Abbasi. It is also said to star Sadia Hyat Khan, a new comer in the industry.
While it is thrilling to hear news of a Pakistani feature backed by a major studio, the subject matter fails to excite. The storyline has been inspired by the war on terror in Pakistan and its effects on the world, but with a stylised interpretation of it. It is something that cinema goers worldwide have been exposed to over and over again. One hopes that Rana has penned a script that finds a new and refreshing angle to explore war and terrorism.
The soundtrack of the film has been done by Qayaas, a Pakistani band. According to Khurram Waqar, the lead guitarist of Qayaas, “Inquilaab”, “Khayaal” and “Pal” are all part of the soundtrack. The presence of Qayaas in the film makes the project sound even more interesting.
This English-language film has been shot at various locations in and outside of Pakistan, from Lahore, to the beautiful hills of Islamabad and the breathtaking Swat Valley, where a major military operation was launched two years ago. Some parts of the film have also been shot in Istanbul, Turkey.
The film will first be screened at some major international film festivals and will then be released worldwide.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 27th, 2011.
Reader Comments (20)
Life & Style Latest Stories
Style Icon: Stylist Maha Burney
Working as creative director for her husband Nadir Feroz Khan’s photography venture, Maha Burney is on top of her game
Harry Potter first edition annotated by author up for auction
Book contains Rowling’s handwritten thoughts and hand-drawn illustrations.
My mother, a friend for life: Sashaa Agha
Actor says her mother, Salma Agha, is supportive and very protective about her.
Let the romantic Aapki Soniya sweep you off your feet
The play starring the talented Mehwish Hayat alongside Sajid Hasan starts next month.
Did you know?: Veena says Ashmit was never a friend
Actor Veena Malik says she only believes in maintaining a friendship with her career.
Karachista: Socialite entrepreneurs boost the economy
Women are running furniture shops, salons, bakeries, designing clothes and a lot more.
A musical night with Usman Riaz
The musical genius admits he learnt a lot about music from YouTube.
Shots fired at Cannes film festival, actors flee for cover
Police arrested the man at the scene and found he was carrying a dummy grenade and a knife.
‘Ugly’ film about Mumbai dark side
The aptly titled film was inspired by real events in a city blighted by child trafficking and prostitution.
Birth anniversary celebrations: ‘Manto was much more than a controversial writer’
Ajoka Theatre’s play depicts the hostile reception Saadat Hassan Manto got following his migration to Pakistan.
Recent Slideshows
More in Life & Style
BCW ends on a high note!
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed or derived from.
Unless otherwise stated, all content is copyrighted © 2013 The Express Tribune News Network.
Technical feedback? [email protected]
woah!!! looks like something BIG cookinRecommend
Excited to hear abt the movie and might b a blessing for the shattered image of Pakistan around the globe, might act as a silverlining for the people of Pakistan and the nation…Recommend
English Feature Film….???? Gimmee a break !!! now how will That! bring the “Massess” into the Cinemas.. and revive Pakistani cinema.. u better think fast mr Lashari.. coz this may sink 170 Mn bucks, as this story suggest that ur upcoming baby will be a darling for International Film Festivals Only… and jst a fraction of society would see it if it is a full length English medium movie of 3 Hours and that too on Terrorism(again).. Ghosh!!!.. aren’t news channels enough for that???Recommend
Superb! Eagerly looking forward to watch this movie. Two things have really clicked me: 1) Bilal Lashari directing it and 2) A budget of $2 million which is almost unimaginable in our movie industry. Best wishes to the team of ‘Waar’ :DRecommend
waiting for a patriotic movie based on our ISPR in Pakistan for long… countdown begins now!!!! Hell yeah! worth watchable movie… as Shaan looks quite different from a his usual style of Macho Man!Recommend
I don’t think it will be ‘Pakistan’s blockbuster’ as the flick is being made to target western audiences and show them the effects of War on terror on Pakistan. Backed by ISPR, and distributed by Warner Bros, it will show our American masters the condition of the front line state and the ‘great job’ that Pak Army is doing ‘more’ for them. Which will eventually result in more fundings and loans to our country (from which half would go again into our Army’s budget).
Sorry I went a little off-beat, here is the list of all Pakistani movies scheduled to release this year: http://bit.ly/lollywood2011
I am personally looking forward to movies like KOLACHI, Love mein Gum , BOL and Freedom Sound.Recommend
Hope its gonna be a superb movie… Best wishes 4 its success from my side…Recommend
Best of Luck for WAARRecommend
Goes into censorship. Censorship thinks it has content. Asks to remove content. Go bye, bye.
I hope it gets released.Recommend
@Saad Durrani:
Don’t you know meaning of back by ISPR. :PRecommend
It’s a great movie, have seen some of the clips! Shaan has been in the greatest of his looks.
PS: It’s ethical to mention the credits for info/images.Recommend
The film has been produced by MindWorks Media and has been shot in collaboration with Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).
That says it all! It will be block-buster for the cadets…please dont have illusion abt it being an international block buster. However, its good for the pakistani-amreekan to showcase his talent…best of wishes to him.Recommend
Its very silly to say that the story fails to impress before even the movie’s screening…!!!!!Recommend
If it has Shaan in it then its gonna suck. Recommend
If you’re going to make another movie about the army, let’s make one that chronicles the history of abuse, overthrowing of governments, genocide in Bengal, never winning any war whatsoever, disaster in Kargil, sponsoring of terror groups, etc. Recommend
Hot Hunks ;) Recommend
ISPR,Warner Bros. and Rs. 170 Million, does anybody smell the propaganda? Welcome to the art of war, literally! Blockbuster or not, it’s in English and it’s made to promote the war on terror. What do we get out of it? Well this movie will be an attempt to gain support for the war which shall continue in the foreseeable future. Hitler did this extensively, so does The States with movies like Hurt Locker etc. Well, at least the film industry has been given a life line even if it is for nefarious purposes. Art and War, what a wonderful oxymoron. Besides, haven’t we had enough of these apologetic war movies showing that we Pakistanis aren’t bad or what the news portrays us to be. Want to be appreciated in the world? Want to show that you are a normal nation? Make creative films touching genres of fiction,sci-fi,horror,comedy etc etc.Recommend
If we ignore all the negative propaganda in the comments section, this film can do the following for us:
Put a Pakistani director on global map (Warner Bros);
Train many people to get skills at Hollywood level that
will help the local industry in future
If the film is successful internationally, it will
encourage more investment in our film industry &
the money earned is likely to be invested manifold
If not successful, the film will serve as a brand & image
boost and will put Pakistani directors/actors on International Cinema
It is a win-win situation for Pakistan in any case!Recommend
And Pakistani musicians are likely to earn millions of
dollars & fame!Recommend
Great…Its time to produce a film(Pak Made) which can change the perception and mindset of the West.
The image of our War torn country fighting for her survival has been badly tarnished since many years after all ,we are also fighting against War on Terror and has lost a considerable number of civilian & military casualties.Why can’t the west understand our sacrifices instead of saying “DO MORE”or Harbouring terrorists etc
The last Pak Made English movie, I recall was “Beyond The Last Mountain” directed intelligently by none other than Javed Jabbar.That was a milestone of pak Cinema. Hope this film can match the calibre and standard of the last one made in the mid seveties.
Best of luck Mr Lashari..Hope it has some value and motivation for saving our integrity and self respect.Recommend