Faryal Mehmood to star in film inspired by Qandeel Baloch

Iram Parveen Bilal's 'Wakhri' features music by Pakistani artists Eva B, Meesha Shafi

Just before 2022, the glorious year for Pakistani filmmakers and artists, comes to an end, Iram Parveen Bilal gave yet another reason for the country to be proud of its creatives. Variety reported that the I’ll Meet You There director has now wrapped up the shoot in Pakistan, for her upcoming film titled Wakhri (One of a Kind).

Starring Faryal Mehmood and Gulshan Majeed alongside well-known social media influencers, Wakhri premises around patriarchal social media trolling and the burgeoning underground scene of the so-called “misfits” in modern-day Pakistan. The film is inspired by and offers a tribute to unapologetic social media influencers like the slain Qandeel Baloch.

According to the publication, Iram’s Wakhri follows a Pakistani schoolteacher who accidentally unleashes the power of social media, unabashedly challenging the patriarchy. As she tries to keep her online identity a secret, she’s gradually exposed to society’s dangerous underbelly and forced to manage the repercussions.

She describes her project as a “grounded masala” film that promises thought-provoking subject matter whilst also featuring loud Punjabi-language club tracks and Urdu-language rap songs to dance and chant with.

From direction and production to acting and soundtracks, Iram brought in the best of the Pakistani industry. It features the voices of multiple local singers with the likes of Meesha Shafi, Eva B and producer Abdullah Siddiqui and more. Kanwal Khoosat's mastermind is on the production design for the film while the famed Sacred Games editor Aarti Bajaj will edit the project.

Iram was named one of the directors to watch by the Alliance of Women Directors in 2020. Her previous film, I’ll Meet You There, was in the Grand Jury competition at SXSW in 2020 but was unfortunately banned in Pakistan. Wakhri was a 2018 Locarno Open Doors selection, where it was one of two Pakistani project selections, the other one being what is now Saim Sadiq’s Oscar contender Joyland.