E X C L U S I V E
in independent features, and one of the things I noticed in my work was
that I was used to a subtler style of work, I didn’t appreciate the eastern
style of filmmaking as much. I think now more than ever I am inspired
by the stories we tell in Pakistani cinema because there is so much joy
and good feeling, along with the craft, so to me, this is a sudden shift in
my own perception of what filmmaking and cinema can be.
Ahad Raza Mir: Whenever I do a role, be it film, TV or stage, I always
take something away from the experience. A part of it stays with you
even though you must kill the character in the end, so you can move on
to another role. After spending so much time with the cadets and seeing
what it takes to be part of the forces, what I have taken away is discipline
in all aspects of life because I had never seen this level of discipline.
Speaking a certain way, looking a certain way, waking up on time every
morning, and being so consistent on a day to day basis is so admirable.
I have mentioned this before and I don’t like mentioning this but as
actors we tend to complain, like it’s too hot, it’s too cold, we’re hungry,
we speak up, but we had these cadets who shot with us in the film and
not once did they complain, not once did they flinch or say they are
uncomfortable. So, discipline is what I have taken away and I hope it
stays with me for the long run.
Hania Aamir: As we spent a lot of time with the cadets, I learnt the
value of the uniform from them. The effort that goes behind to earn the
uniform and the sacrifices you must make, being away from the family
and a comfortable life, perhaps I did not understand it entirely until I
saw it all myself. I met these amazing cadets who had immense love for
their country and that’s all they talked about. I was so inspired.
This film somehow runs a parallel of the renaissance we are seeing in
Pakistan today. Do you think the parallel energy that we are seeing
in Pakistan, this film will ride that wave as well with the change that
is sweeping across the country?
Hamza Ali Abbasi: This wave of the revival of cinema started years
ago. Our cinema was great in the 60s and 70s. Then 80s onwards
things went downhill until the 2010s. The dramas are kind of localized,
film is something you can take to the world, but right now, there is a
tremendous sense of positivity in Pakistan, not just in cinema but in
every sector. There is an optimism to be good, to do better. If you are a
journalist, you want to be a great journalist, and with the film industry,
we’re all looking to give our very best. Hopefully, in the next five years,
we will see the manifestation of all the positivity.
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