In Jamshaid Jan Mohammad’s big screen directorial debut, Sawal 700 Crore Dollar Ka (S7CDK), there are a lot of firsts; both good and the not-so-good. What’s good is that the plot revolves around an international heist where the conmen employ the use of their wits and sophisticated gadgetry; what’s bad is the execution that isn’t top-notch.

Sawaal… opens with two conmen, Commander and Tiger (Jawed Sheikh). After Commander loses his life in an escape bid, Tiger teams up with Rocky (Ali Mohiuddin) for a heist involving a huge amount of money ($7 billion), hence the film title. The said amount is safely secured in a vault owned by a Maharaja (Nayyar Ejaz), who speaks old-school Hindi and moves around with female security guards.

Tiger is the mastermind behind the heist and he uses Rocky’s ability to change guise to gather details on how to gain access to what’s inside the vault. A cool cop, Inspector Khan (Shamoon Abbasi), is already on their trail with his assistant Chilli (Ismail Tara), the latter more of a driver than an actual policeman. Rocky meets and falls in love with dance instructor Seema (Qurat ul Ain) just before the heist and things go haywire from there on.


State-of-the-art copters, a near-impossible heist, an underwater rescue and breathtaking locales; one normally doesn’t associate all these stunts with a Pakistani movie


The execution of the heist is well-managed for a Pakistani flick, but the visual effects could have been better handled. The chase sequences are good but a biker who can do a wheelie shouldn’t be shown losing control after running into a mere pushcart, a newspaper cutout would have been cool in the ’50s but not today, and using splashes of red paint as blood doesn’t work, especially in a feature film. All such practices should be strictly avoided if our film-makers are serious about reviving Pakistan’s film industry.

The star of the film is no doubt Jawed Sheikh. His dressing, dialogue delivery and expressions are spot on. Ghulam Mohiuddin reunites with Jawed after 18 years and does a commendable job in his ‘extended’ guest appearance. Ali Mohiuddin needs to work on his romance because he is good when angry, but one can’t be angry all the time. Qurat ul Ain needs to work on her dance, dialogue delivery, expressions etc if she is to do well in films. Shamoon Abbasi plays a good cop for once and while some have labeled him as over-the-top, that’s what film acting in Pakistan is all about.

A good script can save a bad film but not vice versa. Veteran screen writer Nasir Adeeb may have many ’80s big screen hits to his credit, but he fails in this era of Vasay Chaudhry and Yasir Hussain. It is also sad to see Ismail Tara and Iftikhar Thakur engage in vulgar comedy, usually reserved for the front-benchers. It’s not just the comedians who have bad lines in Sawaal… but also the main villain: Ringo (Ghulam Mohiuddin) tells the hero that if he doesn’t comply with his demand, he just might find the ‘usually dressed’ Seema undressed. Really? Even Daku Gabbar Singh (Sholay) had the good sense to deliver his threats in a subtle manner rather than stoop to such level!

As for the songs, the less said the better. Two item numbers — Rus Gullah and Aaj ki Raat — seemed to have been included at the last minute, and if music composer Faizi and lyricist Saeed Gillani are to further work in the industry, they have to rethink their strategy. Gillani tries to do an Irshad Kamil — the Bollywood lyricist who freely uses English words in his songs — but fails (using words like ‘dream girl’ would have gathered cheers back in his day, but now it only makes the audience laugh).

And then there is the background score by M. Arshad. The veteran music director seems to have turned to the internet for inspiration as one easily identifies tunes from Indian films like Race, Don or even the ’80s Shaan, Qurbani, Janbaaz, besides Sergio Leone’s For a Few Dollars More. All we can say is that the music director needs to realise that we now live in a global village where everything is easily accessible.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, July 17th, 2016

Opinion

Editorial

Afghan turbulence
Updated 19 Mar, 2024

Afghan turbulence

RELATIONS between the newly formed government and Afghanistan’s de facto Taliban rulers have begun on an...
In disarray
19 Mar, 2024

In disarray

IT is clear that there is some bad blood within the PTI’s ranks. Ever since the PTI lost a key battle over ...
Festering wound
19 Mar, 2024

Festering wound

PROTESTS unfolded once more in Gwadar, this time against the alleged enforced disappearances of two young men, who...
Defining extremism
Updated 18 Mar, 2024

Defining extremism

Redefining extremism may well be the first step to clamping down on advocacy for Palestine.
Climate in focus
18 Mar, 2024

Climate in focus

IN a welcome order by the Supreme Court, the new government has been tasked with providing a report on actions taken...
Growing rabies concern
18 Mar, 2024

Growing rabies concern

DOG-BITE is an old problem in Pakistan. Amid a surfeit of public health challenges, rabies now seems poised to ...