Rangeen: Life is a drama

Shoaib Khan talks about his upcoming film Rangeen.

LAHORE:

Shoaib Khan’s yet-to-be-released directorial debut, Rangeen, is already generating buzz due to its bid to revolutionise film-making in the industry. With a cast of leading actors and a unique story structure, Rangeen hopes to bring an atypical film-making style to Pakistani cinema.

“We’re trying to make a reality-based film which focuses on daily happenings that people can easily relate to,” says Khan, who claims his film will be the first reality-based dramatic film in the country. “We are trying to bring forth real-life and relatable characters instead of those typical scenes where you see the hero being shot at with a 100 bullets and still surviving.”

Khan, who has been heavily involved with television production over the past few years, explains he had always found a vacuum in the entertainment industry of the country. He is of the opinion that with Pakistan progressing into the global village, film audiences have also matured. Hence, Rangeen, according to Khan, is an attempt to connect with audiences and bring them back to the cinemas. “My idea of film-making is that it should explore what life really is; even the dialogues should be those that people use in everyday life,” says Khan.

A dash of humour

Rangeen, which has recently begun shooting, revolves around five couples and the problems they face. However, Khan, who has written the script as well, describes the film as “depicting the different shades of life in a humorous and fun manner”. The film, details of which Khan does not reveal, is laced with romance, family issues and corruption, which are all presented in a light, humorous way.

Meanwhile, when asked about the cast, Khan confirmed that the film features Natasha Hussain, Abdullah Ijaz, Tariq Taqi, Arsalan Mughal, Raza Shah, Sadaf Kanwal, Sana Khan, Hina Sultan, Annie and Shafqat Cheema. He further explains that the cast had been selected keeping in mind the various personality types that are being represented in the film.

A long way to go

However, the film’s release still seems a long way off since only 15-20% of filming has been completed so far. Additionally, since the director is currently in negotiations with several distributors locally and abroad, Khan is reluctant to give out a specific time of release.

However, despite the long wait, Rangeen has been the talk of the town due to the film’s title song “Nach Baliye”, which will feature Quratulain Balouch alongside the duo Shajar-Fakhar. The song, which will be composed by Shajar-Fakhar, will kick off an exciting promotional campaign in the upcoming months. “I think it will be great because the song portrays a lot of colour and glamour,” says Khan, who hopes the song will strike a chord with the audience.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2012.