Pakistan has been portrayed in Hollywood films and American TV shows as a strife-torn country where women wear burqas, men sport beards and carry firearms while kids run around trying to save themselves from exploding bombs, missiles and drone attacks. Thankfully, Azfar Jafri’s Janaan helps portray a positive (read real) image of Pakistan internationally and captures the natural beauty so well that even those who weren’t fond of traveling to the Swat region would gladly do so now.
Janaan is about a young girl Meena (Armeena Rana Khan in her first lead role) who studies abroad but isn’t your typical desi belle. She visits Pakistan for a family wedding and immediately captures the attention of her cousins Asfandyar (Bilal Ashraf) and Daniyal (Ali Rehman Khan). While the former isn’t trying to impress her, the latter does nothing but that. Then there is her uncle Asad Khan (Ajab Gul) who lives with all his brothers and is friends with the influential Ikramullah (Nayyar Ejaz), who owns a school for orphans and underprivileged.
By the interval we find out that Ikramullah isn’t all that he seems to be. Things go from bad to worse post-intermission but truth eventually perseveres, with the better man winning the hand of the fair maiden from Canada.
Strong performances and scenic locales elevate Janaan to a must-watch
Armeena Rana Khan looks absolutely stunning throughout the flick while Ali Rehman Khan makes us laugh and cry all at once. Osman Khalid Butt deserves commendation for his fresh screenplay and Rana Kamran has captured the natural beauty of Swat like never before.
Bilal Ashraf makes his debut as a leading man and, although his persona suits action roles more, he does well here playing shy and dumb according to the demands of his character.
Watching Bilal Ashraf and Armeena Khan together is like watching a real-life Prince Charming and fairy tale princess – they come across as a stunning couple who pair up more often as they look good on screen and seem comfortable together.
Osman Khalid Butt’s screenplay has been executed well by director Azfar Jafri who had previously called the shots on the indie film Siyaah. All the actors fit their characters well and look the part because, according to the producer Imran Raza Kazmi, the entire cast had to give an audition before the roles were handed out.
Armeena Rana Khan looks absolutely stunning throughout the flick while Ali Rehman Khan makes us laugh and cry all at once. Osman Khalid Butt deserves commendation for his fresh screenplay and Rana Kamran has captured the natural beauty of Swat like never before. Bilal Ashraf makes his debut as a leading man and, although his persona suits action roles more, he does well here playing shy and dumb according to the demands of his character.
Veteran actor Ajab Gul triumphs in his role as the head of the family and you love to hate Nayyar Ejaz because he comes out as an exceptional bad guy. It was also good to watch Mishi Khan play the aunt everyone wants to have as an aunt, and the same can be said for newcomer Hania Aamir who plays the sister and takes cuteness to another level. Theatre actor Usman Mukhtar in his first major role shines through while DJ Fahad Ali Panni impresses in the acting department as well.
So how does Janaan help portray Pakistan’s image as a country of loving people, especially abroad? The director Azfar Jafri has shot most of the film in Swat, and on actual locations. “We have shown Pakistan as it is because we believe that its time people should know that we are a peace-loving people who have their own culture, their own customs and family values. The world believes certain places in Khyber Paktunkhwa are ‘supposedly controlled’ by terrorists but those are where we have shot most of the film. In my book, that’s a victory by all means.”
The Janaan of the film, Armeena Rana Khan, comes out as a much better actress than in last year’s Bin Roye. However, she feels that there were bigger challenges for her than acting in the movie with accomplished actors. “It was very difficult for me to dance as I come from a non-acting and non-dancing background. For me, the bigger challenge the better it is and that’s why I didn’t feel tired after 10 hours of dancing in a single night … and that too in winter.”
There are a few inconsistencies in the narrative which seems dragged on occasions but the plot keeps the audience involved, especially Ali Rehman’s antics which remind one of the cartoon character Johnny Bravo. The suspense keeps you hooked post-interval where the angry Bilal gets it right when it matters most.
Producers Imran Raza Kazmi, Munir Hussain and Hareem Farooq must be congratulated for making one of the most beautiful Pakistani flicks in recent years, and one hopes that their next project Parchi adds to it.
Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine September 25th, 2016
