Pakistan’s first horror-comedy film ‘Udham Patakh’ set for December release

Pakistan’s first horror-comedy film Udham Patakh has finally set a release date following months of Covid-related delays. The film will premier on December 10 in cinemas. Directed by Abu Aleeha, whose previous credits include the 2019 revenge-thriller Tevar, and starring Faizan Sheikh of Parchi fame, the trailer of the film features a hefty dose of zombies and political commentary. 

Sharing the poster of the film to his Twitter, Aleeha wrote, “If you wish to see Prime Minister Imran Khan re-elected next term, then head over to cinemas to watch Udham Patakh on Friday, December 10.” 

The catchline on the poster reads, “Zombies say darna nahin, larna hai [You shouldn’t fear zombies, you should fight them].” The film also stars Hira Umer, Ali Rizvi, Shabana Hassan and Taha Humayun. 

The trailer of the film, which was released in July, follows a young man played by Sheikh, walking up to a woman with her back towards him, with the typical horror movie build-up music playing in the background only for it to be revealed that she is a zombie, complete with some fairly gruesome SFX makeup, as soon as he gets too close. In the comedy department, the trailer delivers a fair dose of funny moments, however, the film’s horror capabilities can be judged fairly only after a complete viewing of Udham Patakh. 

Speaking to a local news outlet, Sheikh commented, “I am super excited for this project. This project is a very budget tight independent film that has not been backed by any big channel or production house. This film is something very different and experimental and I believe it is a brave step to make a film like this, especially during Covid-19 times when the reopening of cinemas is still uncertain.”

Aleeha will be adding to his horror portfolio with Udham Patakh, with the director also set to helm the upcoming thriller Javed Iqbal: The Untold Story of a Killer, starring Yasir Hussain and Ayesha Omar. 

Iqbal’s case was a particularly macabre one as he strangled his victims, dismembered their corpses and dissolved them in acid to conceal the evidence. He was found guilty and sentenced to death in the same manner that he killed the boys. Moinuddin Haider, the Interior Minister of the time had stated that such a punishment would not be allowed.