KARACHI: Sometimes clichés don’t sound bad. So it wouldn’t be erroneous to call the trailer launch for an upcoming film Parey Hut Love — to be released on Eidul Azha — at a local multiplex on Friday night a star-studded event.

The red carpet dazzled, though at least half an hour after the scheduled time, with a host of TV and film celebs including Sheheryar Munawar, Maya Ali, Ahmed Ali Butt and Hina Dilpazeer (principal cast of the film). The media had a great time.

But it is baffling that when the press conference began the media persons didn’t put many questions to the director of the film Asim Raza, its writer Imran Aslam or even to any of the cast and crew in the movie even after watching the trailer twice. And the trailer, by the way, also had shots of the likes of Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan, who apparently have something of a cameo appearance in the film.

It was befitting that the writer of Parey Hut Love, Imran Aslam, hogged most of the media and celebrity limelight. It’s understandable because it is after a long time that the creative facet to his personality will get to be seen (or read). He did, while answering a question asked by Butt, host of the show, admit to the ‘magic’ of cinema.

Director Asim Raza said this time around, in comparison to his previous film Ho Mann Jahan, the biggest ‘taqat’ came from the writer of the story.

Replying to a question about four or five films getting simultaneously released on Eidul Azha, Jarjees Seja of ARY said unfortunately it did not bode well for the industry. But what happens is that after the three days of Eid the film with the better content moves ahead to do well. And PHL has all the ingredients to achieve that goal (including four weddings), he claimed, adding Raza has outdone himself with the film.

Maya Ali praised the director of the movie for the way he worked on the project and took the team along.

Seasoned film actor Nadeem said though the film was titled Parey Hut Love, it is “loaded with love”. He pointed out once the writer had penned the script, it’s the director who transferred the story on celluloid, and praised Raza for doing a great job in that regard.

Sheheryar Munawar (who is also the producer of the film), Zara Noor and others also spoke.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2019