Film Balu Mahi is directed by Haissam Hassan and produced by Sadia Jabbar. It is scheduled for release in 10th February 2017 with a star cast including Osman Khalid Butt, Ainy Jaffri and Sadaf Kanwal. The teaser of ‘Balu Mahi’ was recently released and it opened to mixed reviews. Fans of the leads were quite excited watching the teaser since it had lots of elements to offer but the critics think Bollywood film seemed like an inspiration to the makers of Balu Mahi.
The teaser and the motion poster was said to be having resemblance with those of Sanjay Leela Bhansali Films. And much like most of the critics, we felt that too but the leads of the film thinks otherwise. According to the leads the movie is based on our culture and is miles apart from anything that exists in an Indian movie.
Talking to HIP, one of the most favorite actors, Osman Khalid Butt, felt that the comparison may have been complimentary but no imitation had been done.
“The comparison is a compliment, but this is the style of the director Haissam Hussain. He is a visionary and he has shot the movie using open frames. Pause the teaser anywhere and you will see that each frame looks like a painting. Maybe that’s how people drew comparisons,” Osman said.
Assuring HIP that Balu Mahi is unique in its own way, he explained,
“The story is for our society and has a message of women empowerment. It’s not influenced by Bollywood story wise.”
Ainy Jaffri, who was disappointed about her upcoming movie being called a copy, also explained that though the comparison is a huge compliment since millionaires fund a Bhansali film, Balu Mahi isn’t based on any other movie.
“We didn’t realize the posters were similar till people started pointing it out,” she revealed. “The fact is, we share the same history with India, our culture, music, and weddings are similar too. Hence, our movies end up appearing the same, and this is the first films in years that look as good as a Bollywood film aesthetically. Even if the song reminds you of Bhansali’s films, the rest of the story has nothing to do with his movies,” she stated.
Speaking on his character in the movie, Osman shared with HIP,
“Bilal is a man on a mission. He has come back from England and he is driven, that is until his world falls apart,” he explained, “When he meets Mahi, he is drawn to her exuberance and optimism. Because of her he begins to see life in a different way.”
Shedding light on her role, Ainy shared,
“Mahi is an independent, fierce and passionate girl of today. Her character resonates with a lot of young girls from Pakistan who want to carve their own future,” she explained.
According to her, Mahi will be a role model to many women and will motivate them to break out of the chains of society.
“She respects her traditions and culture but doesn’t just follow norms that she feels are not right,” further revealed Ainy. “The movie is her journey of self discovery and brings her closer to the goals she wants to achieve,” she concluded.
When asked how the audience will react once the movie is released, both the lead actors remained nervous yet hopeful, and interestingly, not cocky at all. After all, it’s our down-to-earth stars that make us fall in love with them.
“I’m nervous since it’s my first movie and my character was quite challenging, hence I put in a lot of hard work to get the role right. I am grateful to be chosen for such a fresh film.” Like us, he also feels that Ainy Jaffri and her beauty in this movie will pull audiences towards the cinemas, “Ainy has done a magnificent job and people will go to the cinemas to watch her,” the actor stated.
Ainy Jaffri, who believes that her hard work must be reciprocated by fans also said,
“I can’t predict how they will react to the movie but I hope the audience recognizes our hard work and the movie ends up doing well.One thing I know for sure is, that people will go to watch this visually striking masterpiece. And there will be a lot of surprises and twists in store for them,” concluded Ainy Jaffri.
Rimsha Butt