Sadly Over-hyped

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

This movie has a lot of what you would expect from Shoaib Mansoor and also lacks in ways which are not typical of him. It is true that this movie employs the techniques of cinematography which are, in fact, in accordance with the day and age of its production and acutely divert from abhorrent and despicable status quo of Pakistani cinema.Unlike usual Pakistani movies it does not use cameras from 1960's – a common practice to which many other directors and producers have admitted. It does not have an over-exposed or (as it happens mostly) under-exposed picture of home video camera used by an utter amateur. It has a decent picture with fairly good use of colours and shades to reflect the mood of the scenes and also the movie in general. In short, it is everything that you would expect of any modern movie along with all the flaws and discrepancies that you'd see in any film of international standard.First of all, the overall story lacks the general subtlety and at times may seem overbearing much like a partially ripe mango with occasional streaks of sourness. Many scenes and scenarios lack the depth and detail that you'd expect of a movie of this scale. Hiring foreign actors to do foreign roles was done very professionally, for all these actors were proficient with their performances and their lines were very well written with all the necessary linguistic details.Scenes of FBI interrogation room, arts college and hospital/medical facility cried out for more multi-faceted viewing angles for the audiences. This apparent lack of detail seems to be caused by the budgetary constraints. The location of Mansoor's (Shaan) residence also needed a little bit more light shed on.Iman Ali has done a great effort with some success in acquiring British accent but a trained ear can easily discern the deficiencies. I'd try and use a British born Pakistani actress instead. Rasheed Naz in the role of Moulana Tahiri was a great choice. He has a knack for doing powerful roles.The worst actor, by far, was the one who played Mary's (Iman Ali) father. It will take another paragraph or two to describe even in a nutshell how bad he was. All I'd way is that his acting was hilariously deplorable. By the way, the movie could definitely use more of Ayub Khoso.Using television actors instead of usual suspects of movie acting was a commendable decision. We all very well know that the standard of acting in Pakistani TV industry is extremely high compared to that in so-called Lollywood movies. Shaan, despite being primarily a movie actor, has great performance skills and has given his best herein.I still do not fathom the reasons behind using Naseeruddin Shah. It could be a marketing ploy as he is highly respected and enjoys great admiration in both Pakistan and India.I think some religious points raised here are highly debatable, despite my extreme contempt for Taliban and their interpretation of Islam. A Muslim female marrying a non-Muslim is prohibited in almost all sects of Islam. If Shoaib Mansoor wanted to argue otherwise, he should have given proper references. Just saying, "not prohibited but disliked" is not enough if you want to incite a healthy, scholarly debate. What else this movie was for, if it wasn't to start a debate on Talibanization and the real teachings of Islamic tenets? All in all it is a highly recommended movie and must be watched with open mind. Interestingly, a healthy knowledge of Islam will make it more enjoyable.This kind of cinematic efforts should be encouraged so that we can change the standards of motion pictures and their viewership in Pakistan.

It is the best Pakistani film i have ever seen in my whole life. I must be honest and say that i do not watch too many Pakistani films because of the Gujjar and Ghantasa culture in films. The industry has been ruined since those films have been releasing. It was in the 1970s when Pakistani and Indian films were at the same standard, but now the Bollywood films have reached at a level when they are releasing great films by copying Hollywood blockbusters, the Lollywood industry is still at the new culture (SORRY TO SAY) given to it by the Punjabi film makers who prefer Gujjars rather than Modern cinema like this. The film was brilliant in all the aspects it could be, from acting, dialogues, screenplay to the direction and cinematography. The topic was really sensitive and was handled tremendously by the Pakistani SHOMAN (SHOAIB MANSOOR). The way he wrote and directed the film told that Pakistani industry can't only reach the level of Bollywood, but can also make films way better than Bollywood. The story is also inspired in the film called NEW YORK. The film showed two topic, one was Extremism in Pakistan and the other one was the way Americans reacted post 9/11. Both the topics were shown in an engaging manner and kind of connected to each other. The way shoman showed the Maulana and the White officer was shocking, the last and the most controversial part by Naseer Uddin Shah was an eye opener and changed the perspectives of many Muslims around the world.The Ratings: SHOAIB'S Direction was mind blowing: 10/10 Shoaib Mansoor's dialogues were eye openers: 100/10 Story was original and not a rip off: 10/10 Shaan's acting was wonderful and showed he is no less than a bollywood actor: 10/10 Iman Ali did her job well but overacted in parts: 8/10 Fawad is a new discovery and did good: 9/10 Cinematography was really good: 10/10 Music was excellent (TILUK KAMOD & DUNYA HO WERE GREAT): 10/10 Background Score was just okay: 8/10 Editing could have been better: 9/10 BUT MOST OF ALL SHOAIB MANSOOR SHOWED THAT HE IS THE FINEST IN Pakistan AND CAN EASILY COMPETE ANY BOLLYWOOD PRODUCER OR DIRECTOR WHO ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR AN English FILM TO COPY (HAHA LOSERS).SHAAN WAS WAY BETTER THAN ANY BOLLYWOOD ACTOR AND COPIED NO ONE. THE STORY WAS ORIGINAL AND WAS NOT A RIP OFF OF A Hollywood MOVIE. IT DESERVES ALL STARS AND NEEDS TO WIN ALL AWARDS IT CAN! A MUST WATCH FOR ANYONE, IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED IT GO NOW!!!

this is a great movie. but unfortunately some fans have no other way to appreciate this great movie other than comparing it with movies from India and calling Indian Cinema as "crap from across the border". Whoever wrote is the dumbest and most ignorant film critic ever. But that apart let me talk about a few others who think this is a triumph of Pakistan over India. The Muslim rulers of India during the Sultanate and Mughal periods were not common men and Muslims and Hindus were there subjects alike for all those years. All common men of Pakistan did not rule India for 1000 yrs. If some dumb ass says that then it also means that Indian Hindus ruled the landmass that is Pakistan for the rest of the 5000 yrs which is the age of Indian Civiilization. I would also like to point to the song based on the Tilak Kamod Raag: "Neer Bharan" it is essentially about the love and frolic of Lord Krishna and Radhika. In the movie a Muslim guy from Pakistan sings the song. My point here is not to prove the triumph of India or Hinduism...it is simply that India and Pakistan are simply part of a larger whole...we are the same people...what is ours we are ready to share...and we in India are ready to see similar behavior from across the border...respect, love and friendship alone can heal the damage that has been done on both sides...so let us not term each other as from "across the border" at least when talking about art and creativity. It really undermines such great works. I hope all will realize this.

I don't know how this movie got the overall 8.7 it currently does. If you compare it to the mindless stuff that Pakistani cinema churns out, the rating is justified because this movie really is poles apart, but if your average basket of movies contains some Hollywood flicks, then we really need to be knocking it a couple of points down.Having said that, it is only fair to note that the movie seems to have been intended for a Pakistani audience as it addresses sensitive internal, social issues of its time which makes it far more relevant and interesting to Pakistanis than it would to foreigners (especially the growing importance religious fundamentalism and liberalism in society, and the association of Pakistanis with terrorism in the West). The best thing about it is that it handles these sensitive issues well. The dialogue is scrupulously selected and delicately handled, and this alone is merit-worthy.Shan's acting is pretty good and the movie has provided him a platform to demonstrate that he does possess acting talent. Naseeruddin Shah is a fine, seasoned actor and his performance is the very least that could be expected of him.The biggest let-down in this film has to be Iman Ali's acting. She is a professional model with no acting experience or ability... What was the director thinking, casting her as the female lead? Her attempt at a British accent is awfully removed from British - it's painful to place and is so bad that it becomes a very irritating distraction, even an obstacle for the viewer. Even without the interference of the accent her acting is amateur and mediocre.Rasheed Naz as the fundamentalist cleric was not bad, if a little over-done; Fawad Khan as his protégé was at best average and forgettable.Angela Williams seems as though she paid to get the part... a case of shoddy acting which would give amateur a bad name. The other actors fade into the background for their forgettable performances.All-in-all, worth watching if you are Pakistani - this movie is several cuts above the rest of Pakistani cinema and offers a ray of hope to budding cinema talent - probably not as interesting if you don't empathise with Pakistani social issues and have never been subjected to the rest of what Pakistani cinema has on offer.