Pinky gets a life-changing opportunity to work as a maid in a posh Dubai household
In last week’s Icon, Pinky Memsaab’s writer-director Shazia Ali Khan called her film independent. According to her beliefs, an ‘indie’ film is the responsibility of one particular individual; a film free from overbearing, commercial-minded oversight. In normal circumstances, that’s usually a bad thing.
Without keen, experienced oversight, a film hinging solely on the journey and evolution of its characters is liable to get carried away by the whim of its sole commander — a director hell-bent on being resolute.
Thankfully, Khan has a good head on her shoulders that saves her from auteur syndrome. Her debut film isn’t painfully ‘artistic’ nor ‘unique’; a tale told without frilly extravagance or theatrical bent.
In the story, Pinky (Hajra Yamin), a poor woman from lower-class Punjab gets a life-changing opportunity to work as a maid in a posh Dubai household. At first the change is quite drastic; the city is big, unblemished, well-heeled and more than a little irreproachable — the very qualities her boss, Mehr (Kiran Malik), embodies.
Pinky Memsaab is an acquired taste, character-driven and relies heavily on its three main leads — who are, fortunately, outstanding
Mehr, a stay-at-home mum who spends her days sulking on the novel she couldn’t write, is in midst of a deteriorating relationship with her always-busy husband (Adnan Jaffar). Bored, angry and dissatisfied with high-society life, her best friends are the ones she hangs out with most: a bottle of alcohol and self-pity.
Mehr’s eventual pet-project is to groom Pinky into the next ‘Pretty Woman’ — but without the flashy soundtrack or prince charming. The change is mostly Mehr’s need for self-catharsis.
Pinky, on the other hand, is a smart cookie. Ever cautious of her place in the household, she subconsciously fine tunes her life for bigger things. There is even a dash of romance from a Hindu driver (Sunny Hinduja) that she — and the director — perceptively avoid.
Khan, meanwhile, is deliberate of her original inspiration — ie the wearied lives of rich expats — and constrains the screenplay to be as simple and realistic as possible. Minor conflicts are bred in a parallel story arc but none of it — including the resolve — is ‘overly dramatic’ per se.
Mehr’s eventual pet-project is to groom Pinky into the next ‘Pretty Woman’ — but without the flashy soundtrack or prince charming. The change is mostly Mehr’s need for self-catharsis.
From the very beginning, Pinky, Mehr and even Hassan are in a state of slow yet constant growth. Pinky’s aspirations flourish in time, Mehr, though stagnant, takes her time to deliberate her place in the world and Hassan simply wobbles back and forth within the framework set up by the two women.