LAHORE: The trend of theatre and TV stars trying their hand at film-making is picking up and Tipu Sultan’s debut film as a director augers well for the industry in the New Year.

The initiative is seen as part of an attempt to revive cinema in the country. The film, starring performers from India and Pakistan and with special focus on dances, is tipped to create ripples through the box office success.

Hrippa Ballay Ballay, a light comedy which is currently under production and likely to be on screen after May, is directed by Tipu Sultan and produced by Mandwa Movies. A promising project from Pakistan, it has achieved 50pc of its production target and is now looking out for clients interested in advertising through motion picture.

“We are proud to be the first one in Pakistan to use this medium for brand recognition in the national and international market where our upcoming movie will be shown,” said Sultan.

Sultan, a theatre activist for more than a decade, is not only a director and stage actor but also an expert lighting designer, an accomplished cameraman and an editor. He said “the film is like a high-speed four-wheeler when it comes to people-to-people contacts with the folks living across the border. We have inducted in the film, according to its role requirement, three foreign actors -- two from India and one from Turkey.

The two Indians are also very good dancers; Pavail Gulati, the guy who appeared as Amitab’s son in his own produced serial Yudh, and Rita Aurora, a film student. The Turkish girl in the film is Ebru Ozturk who is also a superb dancer and model.”

“It’s a light movie having two item songs but not to the tune of low-brow thin-clothing stuff. These songs are very much according to the need of the film sung by two new female singers with melodic throats,” he said.

The film will be shot in Pakistan and Turkey and its production will take place in India. “This movie is also an effort to shrug off the fear and a kind of prevailing suffocation in society due to its light tone and comic element,” the director said and added that its two item songs would prove blockbusters.

“We are going to use a powerful medium to generate business for us and for our clients. Moreover, in this way national and multinational companies can play a part in promoting the enlightened and moderate cultural image of Pakistan,” said Sultan.

The story has been penned by Riaz Ahmed Riaz, Tipu Sultan and Naeem Wazir. The music has been composed by Jawad Ahmed and singers include Saien Zahoor and two new female voices besides Jawad.

The cast from Pakistan has many known artistes such as Shamoon Abbasi, Jia Ali, Noor, Uzma Hassan, Seemi Raheel, Danish Nawaz, Sohail Sameer, Shafqat Cheema, Usman Pirzada and Nauman Ijaz.

The film has been choreographed by Wahab Shah, a contemporary dancer.

The project team auditioned more than 110 amateurs from different academic institutions such as the Government College University, Lahore; the National College of Arts; the Lahore College for Women; and the UET and 11 new actors have been selected for the project.

Published in Dawn January 15th , 2015

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