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    Film Review: 'Bachaana'

    Written by: Aiza Azam
    Posted on: February 26, 2016 |

    Mohib Mirza as Vicky, Sanam Saeed as Alia and Adeel Hashmi as Jehangir in film 'Bachaana'

    If you saw the official trailer of film ‘Bachaana’ and figured the film would not be worth the two hour sit down, then you were spot on. The Nasir Khan project bores. Period.

    It could have been much more. The very talented Sanam Saeed as Alia, eye candy Mohib Mirza as Vicky, and, most enticingly, a villainous Adeel Hashmi as Jahangir, together form a promising cast. The filmmakers chose an ideal location in the form of breathtakingly beautiful Mauritius. Even the storyline wasn’t altogether bad. Newlywed Indian couple Alia and Jahangir arrive for an overnight stay in Mauritius, intending to head out to South Africa to join Jahangir’s family. Unbeknownst to Alia, her husband is a drug dealer who uses unsuspecting young girls as mules to ferry his cargo through Mauritius. Jahangir disappears and leaves Alia with mysterious instructions to carry a backpack to the airport. When she finds out it contains drugs, she takes flight, and Vicky, a Pakistani cab driver she met earlier, becomes her unwitting rescuer.

    Film Bachaana review

    The breathtaking scenery

    Unfortunately, there the promise of more dies a bad death. The plot falls into repetition and what follows over the next hour and half is a series of evasive measures as Alia and Vicky keep trying to escape from Jahangir and his henchmen, unknowingly running away from a DEA agent at the same time who is trying to help them. Fortunately, the audience is treated to some gorgeous scenery, its only saving grace, as they hop and skip all over the islands. The script is bland with some desperate humor shoved in every now and then (read bathroom jokes and mock nationalistic pride). Sanam Saeed’s acting prowess is wasted, though she holds her own with the little she is given. The much beloved Adeel Hashmi is unfortunately relegated to delivering sparse, cheesy dialogue and a few dirty looks. Oh, and a previous Hum Films venture, 'Bin Roye', got a surprise shout out in one scene enacted inside a cinema house.

    The general feel you walk away with is that you had two hours to kill and that’s the only reason you bought the ticket. The reason it disappoints so is because in the last few years, especially 2015, Pakistan has seen a large number of very impressive films, with real guts and talent, come out and raise the bar ever higher. So when a movie comes along that doesn’t make you feel it’s trying very hard, it’s difficult to be too forgiving.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021