A good few months since its domestic release, Chalay Thay Saath, an uncomplicated romantic comedy set in the hills, is finally premiering internationally on October 5. Debut filmmaker Umer Adil says the time lag was due to several uncontrollable factors. “It was actually the call of the distributors and producers to line up international premieres when we were releasing the film in Pakistan,” he says, talking exclusively to Gulf News tabloid!
“As it happened, we were almost at the end of April, and within a month, Ramadan was starting. That meant losing out on a major chunk of our audiences in the UAE and UK, and US territories. Then we realised that every international distributor has their own set of films coming in from all around the world on Eid. The dates were revised several times but didn’t work out. Until now.”
CTS didn’t fare too well at the local box office. Though, it is safe to assume that this response shall not be repeated on the international front. For the Asian diaspora, especially, the nostalgia that comes with postcards from homeland is expected to go together with a certain thrill when they discover the very touristy spot that Hunza, in Gilgit-Baltistan, has developed into over time. Photographed on the state-of-the-art ARRI Alexa XT, the film offers vistas of the beautiful valley in the northern Pakistan which is fast becoming the most popular tourist destination, even among the locals based down South.
Produced by Adil and his wife Beenish Umer, CTS is loosely based on the true events that took place in the region on one unfortunate night. But the first half has numerous light moments, peppered with some heart-warming situations, and a good-looking cast of characters — from its Sino-Canadian leading man Kent S Leung to well-known Pakistan TV actors Syra Shehroze, Mansha Pasha, Osama Tahir, Zhalay Sarhadi, and Faris Khalid. Its modern-day, urban youth appeal is cleverly embedded in notes from Pak-China friendship.
About a possible release in China, Adil says, “We are working towards that. The problem is, China only allows 30-odd foreign films per year. To our advantage, the Pakistan Embassy [in China] has previewed the film already and forwarded it to the cultural ministry. We are also in talks with a few distributors.”
