Written by: Muhammad Suhayb
Posted on: July 10, 2023 | 
| 中文
Wahaj Ali and Mehwish Hayat in Teri Meri Kahaniyaan
It was about time that Pakistani movies ventured into the anthology films category; with SeePrime's Teri Meri Kahaniyaan (TMK) , they have done it. TMK comprises three stories from entirely different backgrounds, joined into one; something viewers can easily relate to.
Anthology films are an age-old phenomenon where several stories are woven into a feature film. European Cinema, mostly Italian, have been producing such films for over a long time. Even in Bollywood, it has been tried and is a successfully tested formula. Since the advent of Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms, it has become quite popular. Usually, several directors team up with their stories regarding any social issue, an unsolved mystery or a revenge saga to create some diverse content, but Pakistan was lagging in this industry.
Babar Ali and Sheheryar Munawwar in Pasoori
In an age where inflation is touching new heights, an anthology film could be the best option for a ticket buyer. It’s somewhat like watching three different films for the price of one. There has never been an anthology film in Pakistan, the closest we had was Shore Lakhnavi’s Chand Sooraj (Moon, Sun) (1970), where except for the opening scene, the lead pair never meet. The film was based on two separate stories, and the Nadeem-Shabana and Waheed Murad-Rozina pair were not seen together.
In Teri Meri Kahaniyan, the viewer is bound to watch stories which, in some way or the other, are connected to his own life. A pre-marriage period in the form of Marina Khan’s Pasoori (difficulty/ trouble), post-marriage years in Nadeem Baig’s Aik Sau Teisvaan (123rd) and the eventual mid-life crisis in Nabeel Qureshi’s Jin Mahal (Djin Palace) .
The main cast of Teri Meri Kahaniyaan. (L to R) Ramsha Khan, Hira Mani, Mehwish Hayat, Mani and Wahaj Ali
The first and the longest segment is Jin Mahal, written by Basit Naqvi and Ali Abbas Naqvi. It features a financially stricken family of four, accompanied by a mother and a sister-in-law. Real life couple 'Hira and Mani’ feature together for the first time in a film, braving the harsh realities of life. The couple has two sons, named Jahangir and Alamgir, Hira is Mumtaz, Mani is Shahenshah, the sister-in-law is Anarkli while the mother is Razia Sultan. These names may represent royalty, yet they are down to the last penny. In this comedy-horror film, the family capitalizes on the fear of jinn. Razia Sultan used to work in a house called Sajan Mahal and after years, returned to find it empty, but is now famous as Jin Mahal. The way Mani’s character taunts the system, hurls abuse at the corrupt society and breaks down in front of the influential, reminds one of his character as GA Ghaffar from Money Back Guarantee. Mani, the son of the veteran television actor Saqib Shaikh, flexed his acting muscles portraying a broken man and was perfect for it. Hira was at ease with two kids and a young sister, while Gul-e-Rana as the blind mother-in-law, was amazing and funny. The kids fitted in their roles naturally, and it never felt as if they were being directed.
Hira and Mani in Jin Mahal
The second part is directed by Marina Khan (her feature film directorial debut) and written by Vasay Chaudhary. Just like the predecessor and successor segments, one would get the 'have-seen-it-before-somewhere' vibes, but the treatment makes you forget a couple of scenes in the film. Pasoori is a story of upper-class families where a marriage is about to take place. Rumaisa (Ramsha Khan) has been selected for the finals of a singing tournament, but the only problem is that the finals clash with her nikaah with Salman (Shehryar Munawwar). The girl opts for the former, taking the husband-to-be in confidence. The soon-to-be-married couple must sort out the differences with the older generation, although time is running out. It was good to see Babar Ali and Saleem Shaikh play the fathers’ role of the lead pair, and Babar Ali, as Ex-DG Anti-Corruption was hilarious while Saleem Shaikh was cool as a cucumber in a relatively smaller role. Marina Khan addressed the youth in their own style, as only she could deliver. Vasay Chaudhary remained in his comfort zone, in ‘Dolly ki Aayegi Baraat’ style, but his overdose of pop-culture references really got on one’s nerves.
Ramsha Khan and Sheheryar Munawwar in Pasoori
The third and the last story, Aik Sau Teisvaan (AST) , is a story revolving around Mehwish Hayat's character, Sadaf. She is a housewife who happens to be aware of her husband’s infidelity and things seem to change when she meets a handsome banker on the train. Both are fed up with their spouses and have divorce on their minds. Current heart throb Wahaj Ali, as Asad, is charming and sympathetic to the lady he has just met, while Zahid Ahmed as Sadaf’s husband, excelled in his role of a cheat while Amina Ilyas looks pretty in her short role. Written by veteran writer Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar and directed by Nadeem Baig, AST is the most powerful story from the three, as it made many in the audience tearful. The dialogues and the delivery reminded one of Naseeruddin Shah and Rekha’s Ijazat by poet-cum-director Gulzar, who created a masterpiece way back in 1987.
Wahaj Ali and Mehwish Hayat in Teri Meri Kahaniyaan
There would be hardly a soul who does not love any of these three films. It’s a combined product of experienced directors like Nabeel Qureshi, Marina Khan and Nadeem Baig. If the comedy-horror and rom-com segments appeal to you, maybe the sensitive Ek Sau Teisvaan, would go over your head. Some would like the first and the last parts, while the romantic comedy may be a bit boring for them. That is the beauty of anthology films, and since the experiment is new, an average cinema goer in Pakistan will grow to like it. Empty cinema halls for some of the new releases on Eid might force producers to opt for a change, which has already begun with Teri Meri Kahaniyaan.
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