‘Thora Jee Lay’ is a film for the youth: Rafay Rashidi

Director wants to make stars out of first-time actors starring in ‘Thora Jee Le’

With recent releases like Dobara Phir Se and Lahore Se Aagey, it seems like road movies are all the rage in the Pakistani film industry. Thora Jee Le – which is slated to release on January 20 – is no different. However, according to director Rafay Rashdi, his film is more character-driven than the other two.

Thora Jee Le follows the story of seven friends who embark on a road trip across Pakistan to help a sick friend recuperate. “Thora Jee Le is a film for the youth. It will remind you of your college days and all the fun you had,” Rashdi told The Express Tribune. “What makes it different is that our characters stand out for several reasons. We have seven characters and each one has a different story, comes from a different background and has unique traits.”



The director revealed that the main cast includes a party boy and a massive cricket fan among others. “So, we have a variety of characters and the audience can relate with them,” he said. “Most of us are cricket fans, for example. Similarly, a lot of things in the film are taken from what happens around us.”

What makes Thora Jee Le’s interesting is that Rashdi, a first-time film-maker himself, has chosen to work with fresh faces in the film. Actors include Rizwan Ali Jaffri, Bilal Abbas and Fatima Shah Jillani. “It’s all about the youth. We want to attract the youth with our film and we want to make a point that young people can join this industry based on their talent.”

In an earlier interview, Rashdi stated that his inspiration for Thora Jee Le was Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar and how his films focus on friendship. The film-maker wants to bring that idea to Pakistani cinema. “Thora Jee Le is a film about friendship. We are putting importance on friendship and we want to promote it.”



However, the film is not all fun and games. Rashdi shared there is a flip side to the characters as well. “Several conflicts are developed with each individual character and the road trip offers many new conflicts for them.”

In Thora Jee Le, an open road is the backdrop where everything happens. Rashdi cited the film’s need to look cinematic as the reason. “We need to get out of the drawing room. Our audience thinks a film is a telefilm if we shoot it entirely in a room. They are not accustomed to serious Hollywood films shot in minimal locations and they want to be entertained,” he said.

Often, a film-maker’s penchant for picturesque locations and beautiful cinematography compromises on storytelling. According to Rashdi, this happens because the artists are still learning their craft. “We are in the revival stage right now so that’s bound to happen. But with time, it will get better,” he stated.



Talking about the recent crisis in Pakistani film industry, he said, “I’m not in the position to say anything as I am just entering the industry myself. But I don’t have any problems as to whether the cinema owners release Indian films or not, as long as they can survive financially,” Rashdi expressed. “I only hope our film releases on the scheduled date this time around, because we had previously planned for a December release.”
The trailer for Thora Jee Le releases this Sunday.

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