Out of the bag: ‘Waar’ finally hits twin cities’ screens

Bilal Lashari’s counter-terrorism centred film premiered at Cine Gold Plex.

ISLAMABAD:

The wait is finally over. The much-anticipated film “Waar” premiered at the Cine Gold Plex Cinema in Bahria Town on Monday evening.

Film buffs, paparazzi and guests cheered on a side as the cast made their way to the red carpet. The entrance was adorned with film posters where enthusiastic fans got autographs from cast members.

Directed by Bilal Lashari, the film has been written and produced by Dr Hassan Waqas Rana and distributed by ARY Films and Mandviwalla Entertainment. The film cast comprises a mix of veteran actors and newcomers. Shaan Shahid plays the lead role of a retired military official who is the last hope of the country’s security agencies to fight the enemy, the antagonist played by Shamoon Abbasi. Other cast members include Hamza Ali Abbasi, Aisha Khan, Ali Azmat, Meesha Shafi, Kamran Lashari and Nadeem Abbas Rana.



Based on actual events, the plot revolves around counter-terrorism efforts in the country. The script is packed with suspense, terror and action.

Talking about the concept, Rana said, “It all started out around four years ago when some people were sitting in my drawing room and we had the idea of making the film, which has become a reality.” He added that the film would go down as a landmark in reviving the Pakistani film industry.

The premiere was attended by serving senior military officials, families of serving judges and prominent Islooites. Known faces on the red carpet event included supermodel Natty, jewellery designer Nausheen, young musicians Adil Omar and Uzair Jaswal and video jockey-cum-actor Urwa Hussain.



Rezz Aly Shah, an event manager, said, “Waar is a lovely film and a brilliant effort by Bilal. But things could have been a little better. This was the first time I went to Cine Gold Plex to watch a movie but don’t think I’ll be going again,” referring to the distance from Islamabad.

Zehra Valliani, a fashion designer, said “The movie was awesome and the theme is very relevant to what’s happening today so it all made a lot of sense. I was happy that a lot of it is in English, so my foreigner friends enjoyed it too.”

Amna Khan, a guest, said “The first half of the film was slow but the tempo picked up after the interval. But beware, the film is not for the faint-hearted, it is full of hardcore violence and trauma. There are no songs or dancing around a tree sequences, so it’s not exactly entertaining in that sense.”

The red-carpet event was organised by Nucleus Events.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2013.