KARACHI: Since the electronic media is not allowed to shoot footage from inside the cinema hall during a movie premiere, its members try and make most of the red carpet event that precedes the film screening. This is exactly what happened on Friday night at the premiere of the film Mehrunisa V Lub U (MVLU) at a local multiplex.

The stars of the movie and their showbiz colleagues gathered around the concession stand of the cinema house a little earlier than expected, which is good. They were swarmed by their admirers and flashing cameras.

‘TV and cinema are coming closer to each other’

MVLU is directed by Yasir Nawaz, who graduated from television to the silver screen with his first film Wrong No. (2015). Some movie buffs suggest that the films that are being made in Pakistan, especially the romcoms, are basically longer versions of TV plays. Nawaz, talking to Dawn before his second film’s screening, did not agree to the notion. He said the distance between cinema and television was diminishing. “TV and cinema are coming closer to each other. There is a thin line between them. Even technically, these days both are being made on digital [cameras]. There’s not much difference between the two.”

Talking about the basic difference between cinema and television, the film-maker argued TV is more “natural” whereas cinema is “loud”. Not divulging too much info on the storyline of his new project, he claimed watching the film would be doubly delightful for cine-goers on Eid (Eid being first of the two delights).

Seasoned actor Nayyar Ajaz, who plays an important role in MVLU, had a slightly different take on the topic. “I don’t think that TV dramas are being transferred to film. The thing is that now young directors are making ‘different’ kinds of films, and people are mistaking them as TV’s longer versions.” Describing the two mediums, the actor said film came first, and TV followed. The small screen was meant to disseminate news, but later on entertaining features such as sitcoms became part of its programming.

Head of Eveready Pictures Satish Anand sounded optimistic about the re-blossoming of Pakistani cinema. “When people go to cinema, they go there for an experience. To create that experience, you have to come up with a project that’s larger than life in your narrative.” Rejecting the idea that TV material is being used on the big screen, he said one should take it on a case-to-case basis because if Humayun Saeed or Shoaib Mansoor came out with a movie, people would expect (good things) of them.

After photo sessions, selfie opportunities and short interviews with the high and mighty of the showbiz fraternity, the doors to the cinema hall were opened to the invitees; film critics, of whom there is no dearth these days, entered the hall in the blink of an eye. Let’s see what they make of the film.

Mehrunisa V Lub U releases on Eidul Fitr. Its cast includes Danish Taimoor, Sana Javed, Javed Sheikh, Nayyar Ajaz, Saqib Sameer and Arshad Mahmud. The lyrics to the songs of the film are penned by eminent Indian poet and film-maker Gulzar.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2017