Sanam Saeed, Aamina Shaikh to play sisters in upcoming film 'Cake'

Director Asim Abbasi spills the beans on casting, story and what the film means to him

KARACHI: With the slow growth in Pakistani cinema, one exciting element is that the audience gets to see a lot of debuts. From actors to directors to producers, everyone wants a piece of cake of Pakistani films. Talking about debuts and cakes, one upcoming project involves both. The film titled Cake will be starring Aamina Shaikh, Sanam Saeed and the debutant Adnan Malik.



It is directed by another debutant Asim Abbasi, who quit his banking career to pursue his passion of film-making. Speaking to The Express Tribune, the London Film Academy graduate discussed his fascination with cakes, female characters and Pakistani cinema.

Model Aamina Sheikh a sporting Shehla Chatoor ensemble. Karachi hosts the 13th Lux Style Awards.

One thing that has caught people’s attention is the film’s interesting title. Addressing it, Abbasi said, “The film is titled Cake because on a literal level, Aamina’s character wants to be a baker. But on another level, I noticed every event in our lives is celebrated with a cake, whether it’s birthdays, anniversaries or any achievement. Further, people, as characters, have many layers to them. We maintain a facade to show the world. We are complex, just like cakes.”

Upon watching Abbasi’s previous short films, one will also notice his fascination with female characters with almost all his works revolving around them. Then there’s also a recurring element of dolls. His short film Little Red Roses begins with a shot of a doll. “I just find them more interesting. Women make more interesting characters because they have more layers and are more complex. And then I feel not enough people are making films about women,” Abbasi quipped.

“TV has become women’s medium and film has become men’s. I don’t know why it needs to be like that. I want women to come to cinemas too and watch their stories. As far as dolls are concerned, they are just subconscious choices. You will find dolls in Cake as well. You will find such visual tropes in all my films.”

Saeed feels it’s the right time to sign more films. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

According to Abbasi, Cake is about the passage of time. “It’s about two sisters, one of whom lives abroad and the other is left behind here and their conflicts in dealing with their relationships and parents,” he stated.  “So, the story is something we all can relate to in some way. We have seen globalisation, children moving away and the rivalry between siblings. It’s a story about love, loss, and life and death – all the things that we are familiar with.”

Among all the anticipation for Cake, ignored is the fact that Abbasi has been able to bag established names for the film despite being a first-time director. “I got lucky,” he said. “Firstly, the Pakistani industry is quite small so there’s few degrees of separation. Inroads are easier. Secondly, it all comes down to the script. They liked it and finalised it within two days of reading it. Now I can’t imagine doing this film with anyone else.”

PHOTO: FILE

With Cake’s production 90% completed in Karachi and other cities of Sindh, only the five-day spell in London is left. Abbasi also shared the music of the film is composed by The Sketches front man Saif Samejo. “Sindh is a big part of the film so the film has a couple of Sindhi songs in it too. He has used a lot of indigenous music and instruments from across the province.”



Asked about the categorisation of films as either art-house or mainstream commercial, Abbasi said Cake is neither of the two. “Film-making is a subjective art form and not everybody is going to like every film. Here, people tend to call a commercially successful film mainstream and then films like Dukhtar, Mah-e-Mir arthouse. Cake is neither. But it’s a film that I’m happy with. It’s a film true to me and something the audiences will enjoy. And if I die next year, I will be very proud of this film. And for me, this is the biggest accomplishment.”

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