‘Albela Rahi’ on the go

Makers of Alamgir’s biopic on upcoming film, casting Fawad Khan as male lead

KARACHI:

Well before actors and sportsmen with spunky haircuts and rockstar personas became popular, a local pop musician named Alamgir serenaded his way into the hearts of the nation. His melodic compilations and magnetic presence won everyone over and now — nearly five decades after he first debuted — the image of Alamgir on the sets of PTV still sparks nostalgia in many.

It is for these reasons that the decision to recreate the life and times of Alamgir for the silver screen came as a no brainer for Faisal Hashmi and Sultan Ghani Afzal, producer and director respectively. The old adage of ‘honouring past legends’ is a common rhetoric among film-makers but Hashmi emphasised it was not the sole reason: both he and Afzal felt it important to educate audiences on the glory days of Pakistani music and provide them with a “taste of cultural heritage” as well. “It’s big news for people when you tell them the Karachi of the 60’s and 70’s had a very thriving music scene,” explained Hashmi, while speaking to The Express Tribune. “Nowadays, they aren’t able to digest it anymore as they hold this image of Karachi being intolerant,” he added.



The duo’s choice of subject for the biopic may be intriguing as Alamgir’s rise to fame has already been a theme of countless media projects, so much so that finding a unique peg for the storyline was going to be no easy task. Reiterating what could be more interesting than the story of Pakistan’s first pop icon, Hashmi recalled how Afzal and he had put in the hard yards to come up with a story that would do justice to Alamgir. The research process lasted approximately two-and-a-half years, which saw the duo meet the singer’s contemporaries and collaborators from the yesteryears and go through nearly 22 to 23 rough drafts for the script.

But, according to the film-makers, it is the background and sequence of events that preceded Alamgir’s rise which render his story compelling with a cinematic feel. “A lot has been written and read about him, right from his days in East Pakistan to the fall of Dhaka, after which Pakistan and Bangladesh were separated,” said Hashmi. “When Alamgir came to Pakistan, he used to sleep on the streets and didn’t have enough money to buy food. All he had was his guitar and a desire to succeed, which is cinematic.”

Named after one of Alamgir’s most successful tracks, Albela Rahi seems to be an apt description of the musician’s journey from Bangladesh to Pakistan, on to Canada and the US and then to Pakistan. Unlike the slew of movies being produced these days, Albela Rahi is bound to require extensive production work as the film-makers will be depicting a period nearly four to five decades into the past.

Given that Hashmi and Afzal are both part of the conveyor belt of TVC makers, graduating to feature films, the duo believes their extensive background work on advertisements has afforded them a better grasp of visuals and production design — all of which will help them for Albela Rahi. “If things such as visuals, costumes, characters and locations are sorted, anything can be executed,” proclaimed Afzal.

Principal photography for the biopic may still be three months away from beginning but Albela Rahi has already managed to pique audience interest by casting local heartthrob Fawad Khan as the male lead. Although Khan’s musical prowess will indeed come in handy, the actor is a bit of a left-field choice for the role of Alamgir, considering his earlier body of work and physical appearance. But Afzal stood by the decision. “We wanted to cast someone who has seen the type of success and fame that Alamgir has as it will help the actor subliminally and allow him to get into character when he is performing,” he said. “If we’re able to craft it successfully, 15 minutes in, people will forget Fawad’s past and think of him as Alamgir. And until Fawad does another challenging role, he will continue to be associated with this character provided it is executed well,” added the producer.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2016.

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