Fun & Masti

ISLAMABAD: 

The juxtaposition of Lollywood and Hollywood serves as an interesting device to satisfy Pakistani film buffs. The short film Saasti Maasti revolves around a basic plot of how a rich kid kills a poor villager and how his daughter ends up exacting revenge.

However, there is more to the essence of the film than the mundane plot. “I wanted to explore what Pakistani audiences enjoy,” said Naqvi over a Skype interview, “It is imperative to understand the audience before making a mark on the film industry here.”

Although a relatively shorter film, the filmmaker’s talent surpassed that of most contemporary independent filmmakers around the country.

The plot is clichéd, but the representation of the Punjabi hero is spot on. The Sultan Rahi sensibility of the character falls in place with the exaggerated fight sequences and over-the-top choreography.

The cinematography and effects complement each other and entertain the audience. Naqvi stays true to his ideology and out-of-the-box thinking.

Even with a mediocre cast and subpar plot, the direction shines through. The film does not try to be more than it is. The effects and cinematography are impressive and the movie entertains.

It seems as if Naqvi can produce better films than the recent-released Slackistan.

It is a known fact that when it comes to music of his films, Sanjay Leela Bhansali is extremely particular about how it sounds. In fact so fascinated is Bhansali with music that he even turned composer for 'Guzaarish'. It's a different matter though that both his film as well as the music bombed commercially. Now he is taking a different route for his under production film 'Rowdy Rathore' for which the music is shaping up in a manner which is not even remotely close to what Bhansali has done in the past.

Informs a source, "Bhansali, for all his serious demeanour, hasn't been able to resist the temptation of getting some 'masti' and 'dhamaal' in place for this Akshay Kumar starrer. He understands that 'Rowdy Rathore' comes with a different sensibility altogether and there can't be any usual sensitivity that he has brought in his earlier work. He is keenly observing how Akki, Prabhu Deva and Sajid-Wajid are jamming up for 'Rowdy Rathore'."

"At the end of the day Bhansali too understands that for an out and out commercial film like 'Rowdy Rathore' he has to get everything right for the masses, starting with the music", continues the source, "Even Prabhu Deva's 'Wanted' was phenomenal because of chartbuster music. Now 'Dabangg' and 'Ready' have been huge successes because their music was so popular from Day One."

When contacted, Wajid (of Sajid-Wajid duo) says, "At the end of the day everyone has that little element of 'masti' in them. We are all having fun in putting together 'Rowdy Rathore'."