Tamanna looks to forge its own path

Will the project die in the abyss of ignored films or will it rise enough to sway the Pakistani audience?

LAHORE:

UK-based Pakistani film project, Tamanna continues to tread the murky waters of Pakistan’s film industry. Despite being in its development phase since last year, the producers are still hoping to produce a quality film for Pakistani viewers.

The film, hyped as possibly being a catalyst to reviving the film industry, will more or less be a testament of how a concerted effort, regardless of the budget, can be a viable medium in Pakistan.

“Films have a bad reputation in Pakistan,” explains British director Steven Moore, who has been living in Pakistan for the last six years. “This can be a moneymaking business in 10 years time, but over here financiers refuse to get involved.”

Moore, who had initially written the script for the film in English but had it translated into Urdu, speaks optimistically about the film’s potential in the country. According to Moore, film industries are always moneymaking industries and the banks were major financiers for many films, especially in the cases of Hollywood and Bollywood.

For producers in those countries, the interaction was mainly with banks compared to Pakistan, where private investors were required. He added that the power of film could be seen in Iran, which produces globally relevant films used as a medium to change perceptions. “Film is a very powerful medium for most countries, its literally like powerbase around the world,” explained Moore.

The films cast includes veteran actors such as Feryal Gauhar, Salman Shahid and Omair Rana, as well as a host of local theatre talents. Originally, the role Rana is playing was given to Hameed Sheikh, who is famous for his role of Sher Shah in Shoaib Mansoor’s Khuda Kay Liye and Omar Boloch in Kandahar Break.

The plot revolves around a middle-aged director Shehryar who is played by Shahid and younger man, played by Rana, who fight over the love of a woman who is played by Gauhar. The story looks to show a battle of wills while exploring innate social issues in the process making for an exciting script. Moore is keen on ensuring that the film is visually interesting through technically sound and unique camera angles.

Regardless of the problems its facing, Tamanna’s crew recently finished shooting two music videos for the movie in old Lahore and according to sources, the film will also have a music album and its soundtrack will be sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. Distribution of the film will start by the end of the year or by the beginning of next year. The songs, however, have not been released yet as the film is undergoing negotiations with several major distributors, locally and abroad.

As various difficulties plague the domestic market, the film has received significant interest from foreign distributors such as India. Producer Sarah Tareen, who is dealing with the business side of the film has found several private investors. Despite this, she has been patient, hoping for the right situation in which the film can be targeted towards a maximum audience. “Making a film in Pakistan means reinventing the wheel in many ways because there is no set system here in Pakistan for making one,” said Tareen.

Renowned independent film-makers are criticised for doing little to invigorate or interact with the local industry. Tareen explained, that there had to be collaboration, which was not, based each style being mutually exclusive. She said that the film had managed to engage with several leading Lollywood personalities such as Munnoo bhai, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Riazur Rehman Saghar.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2011.