Composition by Rahada Tajwer
The cameras rolled within a mohalla of Karachi’s Saddar area. Traffic roared not too far away, joining into the crowded chaos of Jamia Cloth Market. It was here, within an age-old four-storied heritage building, that Sheheryar Munawar and Mahira Khan shot a pivotal scene. For the past 13 days they had been working on this single scene, enacting it from different technical angles, bearing with the same wardrobe, hair and make-up every day, something that was particularly difficult for Mahira since she was dressed as a bride. It was hot, grueling work in a setting that wasn’t exactly as grandiose as one would imagine of a star-studded movie.
This, perhaps, is the beauty of the upcoming 7 Din Mohabbat In (7DMI). The movie is as star-studded as they come. Sheheryar Munawar and Mahira Khan look great as the main leads Tipu and Neeli, and they are joined by an impressive ensemble cast that includes Mira Sethi, Amna Ilyas, Javed Sheikh, Hina Dilpazir, Beo Zafar, Adnan Shah Tipu and Rimal Ali. Also taking centre stage is the story. Foreign locales, designer wardrobes and exorbitant sets don’t sell a film — stories do. And Fasih Bari Khan, the scriptwriter for 7DMI, has a penchant for looking at the smaller details of everyday life and spinning delightful stories out of them. He creates characters that are unique to an area, fixates on dialects and mannerisms and recreates gritty, piquant realities with his scripts.
The movie’s directors, Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi, agree. “Fasih is a celebrated writer and Meenu and I love bringing the unique quirks of a city to the screen. Writing with Fasih has been a joy for us because he knows the pulse of Karachi,” says Farjad.
7 Din Mohabbat In is as star-studded a film as they come. Icon sits down with the cast and directors of the movie to get nuggets of information about the filming process and the character of a djinn inspired by an urban legend
“This story was one of the first ones that Farjad had narrated to me, five years before our first movie together, Zinda Bhaag, came to fruition,” adds Meenu. “Farjad has a real flair for the fantastical; his stories always have a touch of crazy in them and he knows how to grasp an everyday tale and imbue it with fresh new meanings. A story is generally about how a character overcomes a series of obstacles in order to reach a desired goal but it’s how the journey is charted that makes it different from the others.”