In a country where once the cinema scene had almost desensitised, the duo came, saw and conquered. If you’ve been following Lollywood lately, there’s no way you don’t know who the Filmwala directors are. They gave a new dimension to the silver screen with Na Maloom Afraad (NMA) in 2014, proving themselves to be one of the most prolific filmmaking teams in Pakistan after producing social satire in films like Actor in Law in 2016 and NMA2 in 2017. Now, their fourth film, Load Wedding, is all set for release this Eid ul Azha. Filmmakers Fizza Ali Meerza and Nabeel Qureshi are obviously doing their bit to raise the flag for Pakistani cinema which has seen a substantial revival lately.
The film is as eccentric as the name suggests, offering tongue-in-cheek and chillingly calm humour with Fahad Mustafa and Mehwish Hayat in the lead roles, following a love story set in a small town in Punjab. We’ve seen Fahad and Mehwish share on-screen chemistry before in Actor in Law, bounded by the same comedy genre, but it’s their raw character in Load Wedding that sets them apart from any character they’ve played before. “Mehwish and Fahad are very absorbent and versatile actors, and they don’t seem like starry actors placed merely in a setting where they do not belong. They’re very organic and have gone to a huge extent to make you believe they’re Raja and Miru and not Fahad and Mehwish,” Fizza said recently.
Load Wedding is also the first time Qureshi and Meerza have moved out of Karachi, which provided the backdrop for their previous films. Writer-director Nabeel Qureshi has stepped out of his comfort zone with the film as it gets to and touches the boundaries of a family drama, dealing with societal and family pressures with its own light heartedly punched content and story line. “We always take pop cultural references and knit our stories and humour around it. This film has its own way of pleasing people with an interesting pinch of humour.
“It’s a very relatable film with the content taking roots from cultural heritage,” Nabeel said.
The duo has recently collaborated with one of the most reputable and biggest media houses in Asia, Zee Studios, for the global release of the film, including USA, Canada, UK, Middle East, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Mauritius. About going global, Nabeel said, “The way we’ve shot the film will definitely make Pakistanis living abroad nostalgic about their country and their roots. As a filmmaker, we have a responsibility to tell stories that are relatable to Pakistani audiences and, at the same time, raising the bar for storytelling.”
Speaking about this momentous partnership Fizza Ali Meerza noted, “This is a great moment for Pakistani cinema and it just feels phenomenal to be able to take the film to so many new markets with this amazing collaboration. Zee Studios International has an immense reach across the globe, we are just honoured that they felt Load Wedding was the right Pakistani film for them to come onboard with their support and help us reach new territories, markets and audiences - helping us make Pakistani cinema global.”
Fashion forward at Pakistan Film Festival – New York
Pant sari with dazzling diamante, tassles and floor sweeping metallics or sometimes sunny delight with ocean blue printed flowers on white-on-white, the plethora of couture, redefining the purveyor of subtleness, ‘in-between’ going creative and experimenting with looks has won millennials over a period of time. The bold display of saturated colours is a resounding yes this season. Be it giving the shades of resort collection or sequin-drenched silhouettes, the overpowering smoked look or employing minimalism with poise, everything has now been liberated from confined and ordained appropriate for day or the festive look. If you have what it takes to carry the silhouette, there’s not really any particular precept to follow. The second edition of Pakistan Film Festival kicked off in New York City recently and it was a star-studded affair with many known faces from Pakistan Entertainment Industry. We list down the top celebrity looks, sported by the bigwigs at the festival, down the Manhattan Street, representing myriad fashion aesthetics.
Mahira Khan: Mahira Khan pulled off a psychedelic taffeta pant sari in saturated colours, blending together the finest cuts and craftsmanship of Sana Safinaz and the extravagant touch of animalier. The way zebra printed pallu meshed with exotic printed flowers, formed a perfectly aesthetic clash print; aligned with the recent Muzlin collection of Safinaz. Mahira’s choice particularly stroke luxe as she paired it with blue stilettos to take over the streets of New York City.
Ayesha Omar: Sporting Shehla Chatoor’s perfectly structured sari pants, Ayesha Omar went sleek with hair and minimalism taking over the prominence. The ocean blue digitally printed flowers, tassels running down on a high silk sari paired with lace blouse and intricate neckline details is a winner. An extravagant touch of sapphire earrings teamed with silver heels created an irresistible look for Omar. Shehla’s delicate colours, blended together to add a hint of personality, was a breath of fresh air on a hot day in New York as the white printed silhouette trailed down.
Sonya Hussayn: Pant Sari dominated the finale of Pakistan Film Festival. Sonya Hussayn went for all gold wash nude off shoulder sari pants with crystal accents and heart neckline translating to a timeless look with a bold vibe, paired with golden stilettos. The long micro-beads blouse did well for the actress as the organza net, structured by Sania Maskatiya trailed down effortlessly creating a timeless look with age old glamour of silks and interlacing vines.
GOING INTERNATIONAL: In collaboration with Zee Studios, Load Wedding is expected to release globally this Eid ul Azha.
