Sep 04, 2011 10:35 AM
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(Updated Sep 17, 2011 05:10 PM)
Google for the images of Pakistani cities and you’ll see that the towns there are exactly similar to their Indian counterparts. Not only in their look and texture, the way of life, culture and the quest to stick to the old traditions has still not vanished in both countries. Hence, it’s obvious that well-made social films from either side impact audiences of both the countries. Shoaib Mansoor stunned the world with Khuda Kay Liye and is now back with another brilliant and hard-hitting film, Bol. The brave film raises several uncomfortable questions and is easily one of the best films to have come out of 2011!
The story of the movie: Sayed Hasmutallah Khanab (Manzar Sehbai) is a hakim whose business has severely got affected with the advent of doctors. He always wanted a son but ended up having several daughters. To add to his embarrassment, his final offspring, Saifullah (Amr Kashmiri) turns out to be a hermaphrodite. Hakim saab doesn’t allow his daughters to work and thereby earn and hence, their condition keeps getting worse. The elder daughter Zainab (Humaima Malick) objects and revolts to the injustice meted to the daughters but Hakim saab remains adamant. How the family, in order to get out of their miseries, gets into trouble forms the crux of the film.
Bol engages you from the first scene itself and although the film drags at places, it doesn’t let the impact go away. The condition of the daughters gives a jolt and more shocking is the predicament of Saifullah who is shunned by his father and is fighting his own inner demons. The confrontations between Zainab and her father is electrifying. In fact, the film goes on a high whenever both come face to face.
What remains the most impressive is how the father, in order to follow the ‘right path’, ends up doing several wrongdoings. Also from the cinematic point of view, Bol is brilliant. The manner in which one thing leads to another and all the sub-plots and characters wonderfully contribute to the main plot is indeed worth appreciating. The film gets better as it moves ahead. The climax, however, is the best. With the ‘sleeping President’ track thrown in, one expects the culmination to be predictable. But nothing of that sort happens…in fact, the climax leaves you all the more shocked! However, the final moments of the film manage to bring a smile.
Talking about the flaws, it gets dragging at several places. However, not even at a single point, the film gets boring. Also, Atif Aslam’s track and songs might seem as a deterrent but it was like a whiff of fresh air in this otherwise serious fare!
Every actor has put his best forward. Humaima Malick is just terrific! She looks stunning and pitches in a bravura performance! Equally good was Manzar Sehbai, perfectly portraying the role of authoritarian father. Watch out for him in the scene where Saka Kanjar (Shafqat Cheema) lifts him and he gives a terrific expression. In fact, at this juncture, you tend to sympathize with him but you still coax yourself not to do so! Brilliant performance!
Mahira Khan (as Ayesha) lends able support. Atif Aslam (Mustafa) doesn’t have much to do in the film but it was always a pleasure whenever he came on screen. Iman Ali (Meena) was elegant. Shafqat Cheema, although in supporting role, creates tremendous impact. Zaib Rehman (Hakim saab’s wife) gets her part right. And finally, Amr Kashmiri was outstanding. Your heart goes to him. Even the child Saifullah, Sagar, gave a wonderful performance. In fact, both Amr and Sagar look very much alike which was an icing on the cake. The rest of the cast too did a fine job.
Music is one of the plus points of Bol. One might argue that the songs weren’t well juxtaposed with the narrative. But then, the songs are so melodious and picturisation topnotch that one won’t mind. The 3 songs that stand out are – Hona Tha Pyaar, Dil Janiya and Din Pareshan Hai. Background score was a delight, whether it was the tension-filled tune or the lucknowi regal music.
Shoaib Mansoor once again hits a sixer. Besides picking up brave topics, the filmmaker ensures that audiences of all ages would be interested to see the film from start to finish. Also, as said before Bol is a cinematic brilliance with well-etched characters contributing well to the overall narrative. Watch out for the scene where the father and daughter getting married at the same time in different places – hats off! Dialogues hit a like a ton of bricks, especially the question left by Zainab in the finale.
Some of the best scenes:
The first scene
The songs Hona Tha Pyaar, Dil Pareshan and Dil Janiya
Zainab reveals to father about the mother’s operation
Argument over the Ind-Pak match
Saifullah goes out to work
The intermission point
Hakim saab at the police station
Hakim saab at Saka Kanjar’s place
The last 15 minutes
On the whole, what surprises you about Bol is that it’s a product from Pakistan, a country which is much more conservative than ours. However, this is a sign of changing times and a step towards right direction. Bol is a success in the neighbouring country and in spite of getting released with a hurricane like Bodyguard in India, it’s good to see audiences wanting to see this film. The film will hopefully grow by word of mouth. Easily one of the most impactful films of 2011!
