Written by: Hurmat Majid
Posted on: September 13, 2022 | 
| 中文
Umer Aalam, Osama Tahir, Zhalay Sarhadi and Paras Masroor in Carma
Until 2022, Pakistani cinema has been quite predictable. We have seen the same faces repeatedly, in only slightly different roles in funny romantic comedies. But that trend is changing this year. With cinemas reopening, we have seen some experimental genres on the big screen, be it Sarmad Khoosat’s Kamli, Sakina Samoo’s Intizar or Kashan Admani’s Carma.
The movie revolves around the kidnapping of a rich businessman Hamza Khan (Osama Tahir) and the events that precede and follow that event. What is interesting about the film is that the timeline is non-linear, and the makers of the film have been careful in providing the viewer clarity when there is a time jump. Another breakthrough for the film is that we are finally in the era where we are openly showing ungrammaticized gore in a film. As in, when a person is shot, you can see uncensored blood and the pulsating wound. This is a win because for the longest time, Pakistani cinema and television have been regulating themselves and blurring out the blood and gore, which makes for an inauthentic viewing experience. Since the film comes with an 18+ rating tag, so parents and cinema owners should not allow young children into cinemas.
Umer Aalam and Osama Tahir in Carma
Another major win for the film was that while it had soundtracks, the film did not have an item number or a single dance move. There’s a whole array of audiences out there, who are not interested in dance numbers inserted into films, and it made the film more authentic as a thriller. Dance numbers in films like Main Hoon Shahid Afridi and Jalebi, gave them unpalatable Bollywood vibes.
In terms of acting, Adnan Siddiqui, Arjumand Rahim and Khalid Anum have all nailed their parent roles, and it is easy to understand why they are considered veterans in the field. In terms of the leads, Osama Tahir did complete justice to his role, from the 20-something going through a personal tragedy to a young businessman, and to a distressed man who has been kidnapped. He truly understood his assignment and acquitted himself well in it. The film is Naveen Waqar’s debut on the big screen, and she seems to have chosen well, even though her character does not have too much screen time. There are moments when she completely commands the screen.
Adnan Siddiqui and Zhalay Sarhadi
When it comes to Zhalay Sarhadi, let me preface this by saying that she is a powerhouse in her own right, and she deserves to be on screen in major roles more often, but her performance in Carma was a little wanting. Also, we did not see enough of her in the film, which is a shame. The film should honestly do wonders for Paras Masroor’s career, simply because he was completely flawless in his performance. We see him as a gang member and he really sells it to us. In scenes with anyone else in them, Masroor really commands the viewer’s attention. He started with small television roles and YouTube videos with Teeli, and we are happy to see how far he has come. It will be a shame if he is not cast in bigger television and film roles from now on. New actors Umer Aalam and Wajdan Shah have a long way to go and need to polish their acting skills. They were adequate but could have been much better had they really worked on their acting skills, or maybe they needed better direction.
(L to R) Paras Masroor, Umer Aalam and Zhalay Sarhadi
The film needed better directing, because while the concept and story are engaging on paper, it was not quite the thriller we expected. It had its moments but overall, the scenes were too long and the acting was a little lackluster. It didn’t hook us the way a story like this should have.
In terms of production quality, the film was okay, apart from a couple of scenes where the lighting was off and made Zhalay’s makeup look cakey. The real weakness of the film was in its editing, for it could have been so much more engaging had it been edited more crisply. It was a 2-hour film whereas most Pakistani films are 3.5 hours long, but this could easily have been 1.5 hours and kept the attention of the viewers. The scenes were too long and tedious. The editors need to take a leaf out of Kamli’s book, where one could not take their eyes off the screen for fear of missing something important for even one second. Also, the editing was choppy, but a little bit of more cohesion could have helped overall.
Director Kashan Admani, Adnan Siddiqui and emerging actor Maaz during the shot of Carma
The final verdict: while Pakistani cinema has a long way to go, Carma is a step in the right direction and deserves to do good business! Time has come for movie producers to realize that there’s a market for films other than romantic comedies in Pakistan.
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