Mona Liza not disappointed with Kajraare’s silent release

Mona Liza’s debut Bollywood film with Himesh Reshammiya gets an extremely limited release in India.

LAHORE: Pakistani actor Mona Liza’s debut in Indian cinema has fizzled out as Kajraare was silently released in India by producer Bhushan Kumar.

Kumar’s decision to release the film in a single theatre as a matinee and in one more cinema hall in Pune came as a shock which even the cast and crew did not know about it. A source told the Times of India, “Himesh (Reshammiya) and Bhushan Kumar were considered one of the most formidable and successful teams in Bollywood. This (silent release) is all the more surprising for Himesh, since he was shooting for Bhushan’s new film until five days ago.”

The newspaper quoted director Pooja Bhatt’s father, Mahesh Bhatt saying, “Never before have I seen this kind of release for a film of this stature. We are shocked that it has been released with one show in one theatre.”

Pakistani actor Mona Liza, who played the female lead opposite Himesh Reshammiya in the film, said that while Bhatt was disappointed with this decision, she herself wasn’t dejected and said that such events were a part of the business. “Controversy affected its release. Himesh’s earlier films didn’t do well at the box office and that may be the reason why the producer decided to go ahead with a silent release,” she said. “You have to face such things in your career and you can’t really move ahead without going through such incidents,” said Liza.

The model-turned-actor added that she had enjoyed her time in India and working with Bollywood actors had been a good experience. When asked whether she had some other new projects in the pipeline she replied, “I am leaving for India on November 13. I can’t get Bollywood projects while staying here. There are some projects that I will discuss when I go to India and then decide if I want to be a part of them.” She hopes to have some good news to share with her fans after her visit.

Liza said that Kajraare will be screened in some Pakistani cinemas once the DVDs of the film are released. The actor has also performed an item number in Pakistani film, Saltanat, which will be released shortly in the country. “This (Saltanat) is going to take a few months. I think it will be released after two or three months. We have to take some shots and the editing isn’t complete as yet.” WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BY THE NEWS DESK

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2010.