I knew 'In Flames' will get world fame: Pakistani actor Bakhtawar Mazhar

Pakistani filmmaker Zarrar Kahn has reached Cannes Film Festival in France with a horror-thriller titled In Flames and is already receiving praise for his work. The women-centred film, starring actors Rameesha Nawal, Bakhtawar Mazhar, Adnan Shah and Omair Javaid, is selected to premiere at the Directors Fortnight in the prestigious film festival where it will be screened from May 19 to May 27.

Produced by Anam Abbas, In Flames follows a mother and daughter trying to navigate their relationship and life after the death of the family patriarch, all while their precarious existence is ripped apart. There are malevolent forces that threaten to engulf them and to survive, they must find strength in each other. The film has no songs or a glamour element to rely on but heavily depends on emotions, sounds, and monologues between the women.

Globe and Mail compared Kahn’s direction to that of American film director Ari Aster. “The film is put together with intense craft and torque we saw in Ari Aster’s hereditary, but with more heart and conviction,” they wrote in a review.

While in transit to Cannes, Mazhar in conversation with Independent Urdu, revealed that she will watch the feature film for the first time ever after its completion at the Cannes Film Festival itself. “There are barely any scary movies made in Pakistan that are also set here,” she said. In Flames was supposed to be completed in 2019 but due to Covid, their post-production got delayed.

"During the shoot and recording for the film, I knew that this story will definitely get world fame,” she said. “And it came true. The film was then selected for screening at international festivals including Cannes. I am happy about it, but my mother is more happy than me.”

However, Mazhar, who plays a lead role in the film, does not take all the credit for it. “This film involves the hard work of not only me but the entire team. We are all happy about this success,” she concluded.

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