Film-making is not an easy task to undertake, but some ‘wannabe’ film-makers consider it otherwise. It requires a clear mind, an eye for detail and an ear for precision. Sadly, it seems Noor Bukhari has none as the director of Ishq Positive (IP), that is, for her directorial debut which opened at cinemas countrywide last Friday has bombed at the box office.

There are many behind-the-scenes and on-screen issues with IP. It was first undertaken by veteran writer-director Pervez Kaleem’s son Adeel who left the project in the hands of Madam Sangeeta. She quit after a few days’ shooting and it landed in the hands of Noor Bukhari.

“When I approached Adeel and Madam Sangeeta for cooperation, they didn’t respond to my request. So I decided to do it my way and reshot 99 per cent of the film in 20 days. There are only a handful of shots in the film that I didn’t direct. IP doesn’t have the typical Lollywood feel to it, something that our film industry needs at the moment. A fresh perspective can really work wonders,” says Bukhari.

Ishq Positive is a romance gone awry

Does ‘a fresh perspective’ mean having one’s husband (Wali Hamid Ali Khan) as the hero and sister Faria as the supporting actress? Let’s face it, Wali is not your typical hero material, and Faria doesn’t hold her ground as an actress. Their weak performances are exactly what our film industry doesn’t need. The same can also be said for veteran artists Durdana Butt and Saud.

The script by Suraj Baba (yes, that’s his name) is pathetic — the pun on ‘gas’ and other crassy jokes and one-liners fail to elicit laughs. The most ‘positive’ thing about IP is the locations and also the songs.

Noor says that it was time for her to “move forward” as she has been acting since the age of five, and IP provided her with the opportunity to do just that. “I’ve always had my heart set on directing a film. The reshoot cost the film-makers extra but they still stood firmly behind me.”

Noor Bukhari has worked with some of the best directors of the last generation as an actress; namely Syed Noor, Sangeeta, Iqbal Kashmiri and Shaan, to name just a few. She says that she felt ‘let down’ by the script but then she could have edited out the unflattering footage that made it to the screen, such as Hina Rizvi’s dance number featuring a medley of Indian item songs, or the Kamran Mujahid moustache drama and also Sana Fakhr’s item number titled Vitamin.

And then there’s Noor as Rajjo (the heavy-set actress makes a comeback as heroine while wearing free-fitting costumes to hide the extra pounds). Rajjo runs away from home on the eve of her wedding to Saud’s character with Wali’s help who is engaged to her sister (played by Faria Bukhari).

Thankfully, Noor says that IP just might be one of her last films as a heroine. “It doesn’t count as my comeback because actors who make a comeback want to continue with acting. I’m happy hosting morning shows on television for now, and would only want to return to films as a director. Furthermore, I want to encourage young actors and that’s why I have introduced Wali and Faria in IP,” she adds.

Wali comes from a classical musical gharana (he is the son of Ustad Hamid Ali Khan), and so the songs are the highlight of the film. He has collaborated in IP with Kamran Akhtar and Saji Ali who do a good job with the background score. Noor-i-Khuda and Rab Diyan Rab Janay by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan sound too good to ignore. The rest deserve a second hearing as well, and are mostly by Wali and his brothers, the Raga Boyz. If there is anything positive in Ishq Positive, it’s the soundtrack!

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, July 31st, 2016