Veteran actor Jamal Shah makes his film debut as a director with Badal – Revenge of the Worthless, a propaganda-cum-documentary film. The flick has been inspired by real-life incidents that resulted in the Pakistan Army operation in the Swat region way back in 2009. It highlights the struggle of a handful of civilians who fought the Taliban before the army took over and defeated them.

Badal – Revenge of the Worthless (ROTW) marks the return of veteran actor Firdous Jamal to the big screen after more than 25 years. He excels in the role of Saleh Mohammad (based on the real-life character of Soofi Mohammad). Ayub Khoso plays Qudratullah (based on Fazlullah) and Jamal Shah is Zarak Khan, an ex-army officer whose wife and two daughters also refuse to bow down to the will of the Taliban.

Noor Bukhari has a cameo here, and although she is there for a few scenes, her character’s death gives rise to another story that features the struggle of Janan (Imran Tareen) and others.

There are glaring technical errors in ROTW in the form of pixelated sequences, blurred frames and even editing jumps. Jamal Shah admits the flaws, citing machine error. “While we were editing the film, a power surge corrupted most of the data as well as the backup which is why ROTW’s release was postponed repeatedly. We tried our very best to recreate the lost scenes to the best of our ability and resources. The episode taught us many things about film production, and we hope to yield better results in future.”

Jamal Shah’s Badal – Revenge of the Worthless has a resonant storyline and some stellar perfomances, and is likely to have a good run at international film festivals

The film has been shot on actual locations, including the mosque that was used by the Taliban as their headquarters. The cast make-up also has an interesting story to it: Ayub Khoso plays the main antagonist in the movie and had to go without shaving his beard for six months, as did the rest of the actors who play the Taliban.

Imran Tareen, who plays one of the protagonists in ROTW, looked nothing like his on-screen persona at the film’s premiere in Lahore. “I had a number of discussions with Jamal Shah after he narrated the character to me. And that’s how I ended up becoming the bearded chap who appears tough-as-nails to both the Taliban and the army. If no one recognised me at the red carpet premiere, I consider it my success as an actor!”

The film shows both sides of a coin, the Taliban as well as the Pakistan Army version. There is also a Pushto rap number that appears in a dream sequence of a boy called Gulalai (Abdul Raheem). The remaining songs are also in the local language (with subtitles) and they are proper film songs. One of them is also performed by Jamal Shah who started his career as a singer from PTV Quetta centre.

The narrative of the movie is also racy; however some of the characters could have been more accurately portrayed. It’s a mystery why Jamal Shah’s daughter Palwasha (Turkish actress Emil Karakose) is played by a blonde. Or why Arbaaz Khan (Shamyl Khan) doesn’t leave for the safe environs of Islamabad with his crew and his beloved Shabana (Maira Khan) if he is so concerned about their safety.

Ayub Khoso and Jamal Shah are equally good as the film revolves around their characters. Had the narrative been a bit more clear, the pre-interval scene a little more climatic and the editing tighter, ROTW would have been much more interesting and entertaining.

ROTW provides PTV Peshawar centre artist Iftikhar Qaiser (of “Ab main boloon ke na boloon” fame) a chance to act after a very long time. Najeeb Ullah Anjum and Asal Din Khan also appear in the film, however it is Firdous Jamal who steals the spotlight as Saleh Mohammad. In one scene where he loses his son and then addresses the man responsible for it, one could not help but praise his acting talent.

Ayub Khoso and Jamal Shah are equally good as the film revolves around their characters. Had the narrative been a bit more clear, the pre-interval scene a little more climatic and the editing tighter, ROTW would have been much more interesting and entertaining.

Having said that, Jamal Shah’s Badal – Revenge of the Worthless is likely to have a good run at international film festivals where the director will present his movie as the real face of Pakistan. Although the positivity in it might get him applause, it is less likely to win him laurels.

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