Ishrat Made in China turns out to be everything we’d been waiting for!

Karachi: Written and directed by Mohib Mirza starring Sanam Saeed, Mani, Ali Kazmi, Shamoon Abbasi, Sara Loren, HSY, Nayyer Ejaz and Mustafa Chodhry, Ishart: Made in China created tons of hype excitement before its release in the cinemas.

The trailer was quite engaging in which one could see HSY and Mirza in intense fighting scenes whereas it also featured a few songs which were pretty pleasing to the ears. After the much created hype, the movie has finally released all across Pakistan and has gone on to become one of the best movies released post-pandemic. It’s filled with entertainment and comedy; exactly what the cinema-goers were looking for.

Without dragging much of the story, it is finely weaved together and has a knack to make you laugh until your ribs start hurting. The story revolves around Ishrat (played by Mohib Mirza) who is a dumb student studying in his own father’s college and the principle, played by Nayyer Ejaz, keeps on reminding him that if he doesn’t fix his attitude towards his studies and get back on the track they might have to close the college.

The reason of Ishrat’s lack of interest in studies is because he wants to race, and no we’re not talking your typical car race, we’re talking donkey cart race that takes place on the regular, but also illegally in a small area arranged by some locals. Struggling to pursue his dreams of becoming rich one day and getting married to the love of his life, Akhtar (played by Sanam Saeed), he one day loses hope and in frustration, vents in front of Akhtar how he is desperately waiting for that one chance that could change his fate.

An opportunity arises and he flies to China where he meets the villain of the movie Master Mangshi (played by HSY). Ishrat was already facing tough time from his enemies in Pakistan, Mani, Ali Kazmi and Mustafa Choudhry, that he owes money to and is on the run.

The movie has wonderful breaks of amazing songs which the ears loved – given that most of the Pakistani movies were only creating wedding appropriate music. Ishrat Made in China has songs of all flavours from sweet melodies to rap to love ballads which have been brilliantly choreographed and sung keeping the audiences hooked and entertained.

It has all the essential ingredients that play a pivotal role in making the movie a success – good story, light-hearted comedy, action, drama and romance. Mirza enjoyed his space to perform as the protagonist which seldom restricts him in other movies, whereas HSY’s debut as a movie star was a feat well-deserved for he looked every bit of handsome flexing a body that he’d worked hard on, safe to say, it did pay off! The fight sequences were crafted to perfection and every frame was brilliantly executed – they fit right in the story and did not at any point feel forced like we see in other movie where the fight scenes feel more like a diversion than a part of the plot. Mirza’s humour throughout the story and HSY’s powerful screen presence turned out to be a match made in heaven and everyone in the cinema seemed to agree!

From great foley to VFX, everything was done remarkably with great detail to attention enhancing the quality of the movie. The comic relief is yet another aspect of the film which matches the humour of Pakistani nation and is something that they enjoy watching. Comedy is not everyone’s cup of tea and it only fails when it’s forced and done by actors who are not good at it. But here we have three brilliant actors who know their job very well and did it flawlessly; Mani, Mustafa and Ali.

With his directorial debut Mirza has done a commendable job to create a movie that is perfect from every aspect except for a few minor flaws which can be expected from any movie made on such grand scale – something that is being unnecessarily highlighted and pointed out by many from within and outside the industry putting a damper on the good things of the movie.

Audience always complains that they want something out-of-the-box and something experimental from the Pakistani cinema and when produced they are the first ones to denounce such doings for their minds have been limited to liking content which involves the ever-so-clichéd Saas-Bahu rivalries, love stories and domestic politics that they begin to judge every movie on those very parameters and then there are those who compare such movies to Hollywood movies. With lesser number of screens and opportunities and budget, it doesn’t make sense to compare a Pakistani movie with Batman or SpiderMan since Pakistani cinema is still struggling and the revival needs immense support to set the wheel in motion and reclaim its long lost identity. With that being said, if you’re in the mood for some comedy, action-packed sequences and great music – you know what movie you’re going to over the weekend with friends and family!