Very seldom has a film with new talent garnered so much following in Pakistan as has Azfar Jafri’s Janaan, an Eid-ul-Azha release. It features Armeena Rana Khan, Bilal Ashraf and Ali Rehman Khan in lead roles, while Ajab Gul and Mishi Khan return to the screen in supporting ones.

So what is Janaan all about? It is the story of a girl who has to choose between two guys in her hometown.

Producer Imran Raza Kazmi has an interesting take on the subject. “The world doesn’t see Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the way we do – in their eyes it is a place where strife prevails and the locals wear shalwar kameez and the women burqas. The writer Osman Khalid Butt and I decided to change this perception and come up with a successful rom-com in the process.”

Co-producer Hareem Farooq chipped in, “The difference in cultures is one of the tracks that we have tackled in the film.”

With a no-star cast, the film by newcomers to the industry is hoping to give Actor In Law a run for its money

Janaan is a collaboration between IRK and Munir Hussain Films, as well as actress Hareem Farooq and Reham Khan. “Reham Khan is a part of the film as are the rest,” Imran Raza Kazmi adds. “She came on board in August 2014 and helped us develop the plot, select the locations and dresses. It was due to her support that we included her name as one of the producers.”

Director Azfar Jafri is confident that his film will do well despite tough competition at the box office. “Actor in Law is a social comedy, Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hai is a romantic film whereas ours is different from both. Janaan is an Eid film just like Bin Roye was last year; a romantic comedy in the backdrop of KP and unlike Siyaah, it doesn’t cater only to Islooites.”

The producer adds, “We are trying to show that Pakhtuns are as abnormally normal and as normally abnormal as the rest of the world. Hopefully, our film will convince the world that Pakistan is a beautiful country with loving people and a rich culture.”

And then there is the cast featuring old and new faces. Ali Rehman Khan hasn’t had a release in Pakistan despite working in two films: Slackistan (2010) and Gol Chakkar (2012). “I’m glad that I was chosen to play one of the leads in a film that is actually releasing in Pakistan [smiles].

“The best part is that I wasn’t asked to play myself and that’s what gave me the margin to perform. People who have seen me on television will see a totally different me in Janaan, one who will bring a smile on their lips and tears in their eyes.”

“We are trying to show that Pakhtuns are as abnormally normal and as normally abnormal as the rest of the world. Hopefully, our film will convince the world that Pakistan is a beautiful country with loving people and a rich culture.”

Besides debutant Bilal Ashraf and the one-film-old Armeena Khan, the film features Nayyar Ejaz and Ajab Gul as well as DJ (Fahad Ali) Panni, theatre actor Usman Mukhtar and newcomer Haania Aamir. All of them have never acted in a commercial film. “At IRK Films, we first write the story and then create interesting characters after which we go for the shortlisted options that we have. In Janaan, we followed the same process and nearly every actor had to give audition to be selected for the role,” said Imran Raza.

In Pakistan, when an actress turns producer, she casts herself as the heroine. But Hareem Farooq didn’t follow that path. Why? “It was pre-decided that if I would produce the movie, I would not act in it since I want to learn the ropes first. My film Dobara Phir Se [as an actor] will release later this year, so I have enough on my plate already.”

The beautiful Armeena Rana Khan said she loves being the centre of all the attention. “I had a great time shooting for the film. I am part Pakhtun and I loved being in KP. I had apprehensions at first since we are told that the region is ‘war-torn’ but the love and respect I got during the shooting was first-rate. It’s so peaceful here and everyone helps everyone else. By the time I finished filming Janaan, I had even more friends than before.”

Bilal Ashraf terms the film a “memorable experience” and relates an incident where he and co-actor Ali Rehman played a prank. “When we were in Swat for shooting, we decided to play a prank on Armeena who is from the UK. We told her to cover her head, to always wear socks and the ‘right’ way to drink tea and walk. She fell for it for a few days but then she found out it was a joke.”

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, September 11th, 2016