Three days, three releases: Local films you should watch in cinemas this Eid

So grab your popcorn and settle in for a ride that will take you through the ups and downs of life and love

As we ease out of the annual confusion of a cumbersome moon sighting, Eid festivities are finally here and so is the time for families to flock to the cinemas. From a star-studded heist movie to a poignant partition-era love story, and an adrenaline-fueled action thriller about a Lyari boxer, there's something for everyone at the box office.

Whether you're a fan of romance, action, drama, or suspense, this Eid promises to be a cinematic extravaganza that you wouldn't want to miss! So grab your popcorn and settle in for a ride that will take you through the ups and downs of life, love, and everything in between.

1. Money Back Guarantee

Everyone who is used to seeing their favourite Fawad Khan either as a poised and graceful lover or an angry young man is in for a surprise this Eid! Directed by Faisal Qureshi and produced by Shayan Khan, Money Back Guarantee – a satirical crime-comedy – is based in a fictitious land with fictitious currency, fictitious politicians, and a fictitious population. However, the film deals with some very real issues.

"I was quite sure that people will like the film," the director told The Express Tribune. "People in our country are obsessed with politics. But we decided to make it fun. Whenever we watch the news these days, we're left dejected. So, what I thought was, why not make our audiences smile with the same idea? It's not in someone's favour or against someone."

Mikaal Zulfiqar, who stars in the film, shared similar thoughts. "More so than political satire, I'd say it's a social satire," he said. “That’s the beauty of comedy. You get your message across and you don't hurt too many sentiments at the same time. We kept this film fun and games. I believe many of us will relate to the film.”

Money Back Guarantee stars Jawed Sheikh, Gohar Rasheed, Ayesha Omar, among several others, in completely new avatars. The film also marks Wasim Akram and his wife Shaniera Akram’s acting debuts – and we’re as excited as they are! If this isn’t enough to convince you to watch this star-studded film, the crime-comedy also gives a nod to the popular series Money Heist and many fans could draw connections between the plot and apparent execution of the film to the popular Spanish show.

2. Huey Tum Ajnabi

This partition love story takes a different route than most formulaic films on war. Huey Tum Ajnabi, as the title suggests is a poignant love story, set against the backdrop of the 1971 war, that tells the tale of two lovers that turn into strangers due to no fault of their own. Directed by Kamran Shahid, it sees protagonists Nizamuddin (Mikaal Zulfiqar) and Zeenat (Sadia Khan) in Dhaka University some 50 years ago.

The trailer for the film begins with snippets of the calm before the storm as it goes on to narrate a tale of lovers, destined to meet and fall apart. It sees Zulfiqar and Khan’s characters romancing each other against magnificent sets, reminiscent of age-old hawelis. There are protests, as well as politicians cooking up schemes to bring about mayhem.

The film is not going to have a happy ending either, in fact, that trailer touches upon the annihilation of a monument and even shows glimpses of a systematic campaign of genocidal rape.
The film may end up presenting some hard-earned truths amidst a sea of propaganda-based offerings – especially since it marks a journalist’s venture into filmmaking.

Speaking to a local news channel, Shahid asserted that he wanted to experiment with the historic genre. “Even though it's more of a romantic movie than a political one, people were not ready to get their hands on this genre so I decided to direct a movie on 1971 war,” he continued. “Movies here are either comedy or rom-com. It is very rare that you see filmmakers exploring other areas.” Huey Tum Ajnabi features Shamoon Abbasi, Sohail Ahmed, Mahmood Aslam, Shafqat Cheema, Samina Peerzada and Ayesha Omar. The film is being distributed by Mandviwalla Entertainment.

3. Daadal

While we couldn’t see Abu Aleeha’s film on Javed Iqbal, here’s him shedding light on yet another story from the slums of the country. A gangster crime thriller depicting the heinous underworld of Lyari, Aleeha’s Daadal sees Sonya Hussain in the lead role of a boxer.

A film exploring the metaphor of crime, mafias and gangsters is what Aleeha calls Daadal. “The film is my interpretation of the underworld of Lyari through the eyes of a female boxer,” he told a local publication ahead of the film’s release.

Upon what inspired him to make this film, Aleeha shared, “I came across Kamal Khan’s Lal Kabootar and found out the depiction of Karachi’s underworld specifically (Lalukhet and Lyari) quite soft and superficial. I have always felt that Karachi's underworld is a lot more horrifying, brutal, complicated and organised as compared to the underworld of Mumbai.”

Elaborating on the same, Aleeha added, “I started to research more about the gang war history of Lyari and discovered that it was Rehman dakait’s father Daadal Baloch who started the trend of a gang war, organised crime, rackets and extortion in Lyari.” Experimenting with suspense, action, and crime, Daadal focuses on the story of a boxer Haya Baloch who becomes a contract killer to avenge her sisters’ honour. The film also stars Mohsin Abbas Haider, Shamoon Abbasi, Maira Khan and Adnan Shah Tipu.

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