Written by: Muna Moini
Posted on: July 05, 2022 | 
| 中文
Late Chaudhry Aslam (right) and DSP Tariq Islam as Chaudhry Aslam in the film
Based on the true story of a courageous police officer, SSP Chaudhry Aslam Khan, ‘Chaudhry - The Martyr’ was released in cinemas on June 24, 2022. The film revolves around the heroics of Ch. Aslam who was martyred in Jan, 2014. Ch. Aslam was not an ordinary cop; he was a symbol of "terror for the terrorists" in the conflict-ridden Karachi back in the days. Throughout his career, he survived several assassination attempts, arrested criminals, brought an end to gang warfare and eventually, lost his life in a terrorist attack on the Lyari expressway.
Late Chaudhry Aslam Khan
Considering what a fearless man he was and how he was celebrated for taking the law in his own hands, one enters the cinema expecting nothing less than a masterpiece full of action, thrill, passion and suspense. However, while the biopic, produced by Neha Laaj and directed by Azeem Sajjad, had the potential to become a masterpiece due to its genre, it is unfortunate that the film fails to impress the audience or pay befitting tribute to its central character, a true hero. In fact, almost everything about the film left the audience traumatized.
DSP Tariq Islam Khan, who played Ch. Aslam in the movie, seems to be an excellent choice for the role considering the visible/physical similarities between the two. Moreover, he had served with late Ch. Aslam in the police department, which bolstered his credentials to play Ch. Aslam. It won't be wrong to say that he fits the character’s requirements perfectly, however, his lack of screen presence, poor acting skills, plot loopholes and technical faults makes the film a painful watch.
DSP Tariq Islam as Chaudhry Aslam (center) and Shamoon Abbasi as his bodyguard (left)
Given that the titular role was messed up greatly is not the only thing that contributes to the failure. While writing about my experience as a viewer, I simply cannot think of one thing worthy of praise. The film features a huge cast, however, none of the actors have meaty roles that add value to the plot. In fact, as soon as you feel intrigued by a certain character, they are killed off, along with whatever little interest that one develops in the story.
The film begins with a January 9, 2014 time stamp, the day Chaudhry was killed in an explosion. Yasir Hussain, who plays the role of a freelance journalist (Kashan), is featured presenting PowerPoint slides in front of several police officers and Chaudhry's wife (Sana Fakhar) who is in the audience. “Is he a hero or a villain? What is he?” Kashan asks people who already know who he is/was. Kashan starts as someone who harshly criticizes Ch. Aslam for his alleged involvement in police shootouts, but after a thorough research, ends up becoming one of his many admirers for bringing peace to Karachi.
DSP Tariq Islam, Yasir Hussain and Iqra Aziz during promotions
Kashan’s friend/love interest in the film, Zoya, played by Nawal Saeed, who seems to be an admirer of the police officer, is bitter throughout the film and keeps telling Kashan to stop getting involved in or going after Chaudhry's story. The inserting of their relationship in the film looks unnecessary and annoying, like several other underdeveloped characters in the story.
Kallu, a gangster played by Sohail Sameer, Chaudhary’s bodyguard, played by Shamoon Abbasi, a police officer essayed by Saleem Mairaj, the right-hand of Kallu, played by Irfan Motiwala and Chaudhry’s wife, played by Sana Fakhar, are fully developed characters and the actors have done justice to their roles. However, another gang leader, Bhurra, played by Amir Qureshi, and several other unnecessary sub-plots and characters were quite unnecessary and only took away from the film.
Sana Fakhar as Naureen, Chaudhry Aslam's wife
All that the film portrayed is that as a young cop, Ch. Aslam made a huge difference to the city while staying true to his professional responsibilities. There is no artistic or creative depth in the story, and the presentation is also faulty. In fact, newspapers probably did a better job at celebrating the hero.
DSP Tariq Islam as Chaudhry Aslam
The film has Bollywood elements such as an item song, 'Aatish', sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, choreographed by Wahab Shah and performed by Amna Illyas. The film also has Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi’s classic 'Kameez Teri Kali', and a Sufi track at a shrine. However, they just serve the purpose of forced fillers and nothing more.
Released by Hum Films, ‘Chaudhry — The Martyr’ is a failed attempt, and would have probably made more sense if it was a telefilm with fewer actors and a better screenplay.
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