Banding together a gang

Director Sohail Qamar on upcoming film that will see Indians, Pakistanis and Germans collaborate

LAHORE:

It’s all about films these days, it seems. 2016 has just begun and a never-ending series of project announcements has started. On one hand, there are non-residential Pakistani film-makers who are beginning to invest time and effort into the local film scene. On the other, there are those in Pakistan who were waiting for the right time to foray into cinema.

The latest to join the wave is Germany-based Pakistani director Sohail Qamar. His latest venture, Gang, is an upcoming crime-comedy that will perhaps see Germans, Indians and Pakistanis join forces for a film, for the very first time. Currently in Lahore overseeing the casting process, Qamar says he wants actors from both India and Pakistan to feature. He feels a film’s success pivots on its casting and screenplay, and is hence leaving no stone unturned to get them right for Gang.

“I am in talks with actor Shaan Shahid and will soon go to Karachi for location scounting,” he told The Express Tribune. “Most of the cast members will be young actors because I want to channel their enthusiasm and energy.” Refusing to disclose details about his upcoming visit to India, he says he is also on the lookout for upcoming musicians.



He said the flourishing industry forced him to buy a ticket back to Pakistan. “The educated elite are encouraging foreigners to make their way into Pakistan. The actors here are doing a great job and their work is being recognised overseas,” he maintained.

While Wajid Zubairi has penned the script for the film, the screenplay has been written by Majid Ali Shah. The team will soon begin filming in Azad Kashmir, Lahore and Karachi. A shooting spell is also expected to be conducted in Berlin. “It is a mega-budget film that has action, adventure and light comedy ... it is a family film and I believe there is no space for vulgarity in the cinema of today.”

Himself an Adolf Grimme Academy graduate, he said it is amusing to see those who have little or no knowledge of film-making venturing into the industry.



“Direction is a tough profession and not everybody’s cup of tea. The trend is that directors act in their own films. I feel this shouldn’t be done because it takes away the essence of the film,” added Qamar.



Qamar has extensive experience of direction from his time in Germany. He helmed Soko Leipzig, a crime serial for the German ZDF TV. However, it’s not that he knows little about the Pakistani entertainment industry. In 2013, he produced a film titled, Price of Life, that featured Pakistani actors Shamil Khan and Sheen Javed. The film was not screened outside of Germany and this time, Qamar has different plans. “I will release it simultaneously in Pakistan, India and Germany.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 17^th,  2016.

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