Chalay Thay Saath: Refreshing, scenic, and lots of eye candy

The teaser promises a film that may lack the pretentiousness, bluster and overconfidence that ruin Pakistani films.

The most endearing element of Chalay Thay Saath’s teaser is its originality. Refreshing, different and low key, the trailer advertises a film that seems to be very different from all the other Pakistani films so far and borrows little, if anything, from Bollywood movies.

The trailer features a number of scenic views of Northern Pakistan, shot prudently with both confidence and skill. Hunza forms the backdrop of the coming-of-age story of six young friends who embark on what ends up becoming a journey of self-discovery, liberation, growing up, intellectual awareness, and spiritual awakening.

The film features the brewing of romance between a young, adventurous Pakistani doctor, Resham (Syra Shahroz) and an innocent, young visitor from China, played by Kent S Leung.

For me, the trailer showcases two truly wonderful scenes from the movie: One, where the very talented and perennially young Behroz Sabzwari advises Leung to take to the mountains if he truly wishes to find Resham. And second, where the resourceful and eternally beautiful Shamim Hilaly welcomes Leung from China.

The simple and understated teaser promises a film that may lack the pretentiousness, bluster and overconfidence that seem to ruin a number of Pakistani films.

Model, host, television actor and video jockey, Syra Shahroz, who appeared briefly in Ho Mann Jahan, makes her proper cinematic debut in Chalay Thay Saath. Thanks in part to the excellent styling by her sister, Palwasha Yousuf, she looks absolutely beautiful in the film.

One thing is for sure, there is no shortage of eye candy in this movie which stars some very good looking people like Zhalay Sarhadi, Mansha Pasha, Osama Tahir, Faris Khalid, Behroz Sabzwari and, more than anyone else, Shamim Hilaly.