Has Khel Khel Mein been worth the wait?

It was Friday night, November 19th, when Nueplex Cinema was packed with celebrities, journalists, bloggers and writers. It was the premiere of the much-anticipated movie, Khel Khel Mein, starring Sajal Aly, Bilal Abbas Khan, Javed Sheikh, Marina Khan and Sheheryar Munawar.

The red carpet started at 7 PM when all the stars were busy posing for the cameras, whereas journalists and other attendees were busy exchanging pleasantries. The premiere was supposed to start at 8.30 PM, however, one can’t call themselves a Pakistani if they haven’t done these two things; first being a late guest, and second being a late host. Following the same ritual, the premiere started an hour later than scheduled.

But the wait was worth it. Whenever Nabeel Qureshi’s name is attached to a project as its director, one immediately sets a precedent that the movie is going to be a hit. Being a young and ambitious director, he does not only direct the movies for the sake of pushing out content, instead he gives each project of his a fresh take, understands the highs and lows of the narrative and plays around with elements to bring in something new and entertaining as an effort to reduce redundancy.

Fizza Ali Meerza, a renowned producer, is someone who truly celebrates cinema for all that it entails and is consistently bringing in quality content to save an industry which has been nothing short of stagnant over the last few years. There was already so much hype for Khel Khel Mein but what ultimately brought people to the cinema are the above mentioned reasons.

Khel Khel Mein is a story of young students who are trying to investigate what actually happened in 1971’s war, what we now call the Fall of Dhaka. At the trailer launch, my fellow journalists murmured about the movie being based on a controversial issue and that too being filmed in Pakistan. People had doubts about its success and called it a risky move on the producer’s and director’s end. Nonetheless, since the film is in the cinemas, one can clearly see how brilliantly the narrative has been put forth, that too with research and empathy.

Mrs Haque (played by Marina Khan) is the principal at the IMS who calls to shut down the university’s theatre society since she sees it as a curtailment to the student body’s studying habits. Saad (Bilal Abbas) gathers students to protest against the principal’s action which eventually impels the board to let only those students participate who can secure 60% marks. This gives Sajal Aly (Zara) an opportunity to show her writing skills when she offers Saad her script and discusses several topics with him including the Fall of Dhaka and the brutality that ensued during that time. Saad initially makes fun of her ideas, but later realises that what Zara said has weightage.

The students, with the college’s approval, land in Dhaka’s theatre competition. They face discrimination at the airport for being Pakistanis and also at the meet and greet for the students who are to participate in the competition, especially by Indians. A Sikh fellow from India praises the Pakistanis for allowing them to enter Pakistan without any visa to perform pilgrimage.

The story takes a turn when Zara starts skipping the rehearsals in search of her grandfather who lives in a colony where majority of the inhabitants are neither Bengalis nor Pakistanis who inevitably became collateral damage in the aforementioned war. There could have not been a better choice than showing Manzar Sehbai as Zara’s grandfather in Bangladesh and Samina Ahmed as her grandmother in Pakistan, for both do incredible justice to each of their roles.

Whereas no one could perform an Army officer’s role better than Farhan Aly Shah since he has the perfect voice, height and looks. There were many new faces in the movie which were a breath of fresh air because it has been a long time since we have seen new talent in films. Zehra Nawab, a bright journalist and recipient of Agahi Award for Journalism in Culture, was a valuable addition to the cast. She aced the character with the perfect Bengali accent and donned a saari flawlessly. I remember going to Sounds of Kolachi’s concert last month where I saw Reham Rafiq showcasing her dance skills and it was a delight to see her on the big screen performing side by side with the leading actors.

Mojiz Hassan as Pervaiz reminded me of Chatur from 3 Idiots; helpful, nerdy and always anxious. Qudsia Ali’s character didn’t have much to do but still her presence completed the gang. Hussain Mohsin was that one in the group who would stand up for his peers no matter what whereas one of the students hailing form Baluchistan, named Abro, unveiled the untouched topic that is often brushed under the carpet; the security situation of Baluchistan and its tribal wars.

When one thinks of villainous characters, a face that often comes to mind is that of Naveed Raza’s. Playing the character of Vikram, he is seen raising eyebrows at the Pakistani students, so much so that he starts fighting with them and tries to sabotage their theatre play. However, as regional scripting laws dictate, Pakistanis were supposed to win the play just like Indians win in their movies.

A few quirky dialogues and scenes spread throughout the movie added energy to the plot and much needed relief in the overall serious movie. After watching Khel Khel Mein, I wished that the tension surrounding the conversation of the events that took place in 1971 would end and that this cinematic venture proves to break the ice that has been freezing for years.