Last week, Saba Qamar grabbed headlines when it transpired that she had signed on a feature film, her first since ‘Hindi Medium’ (2017). The news was soon followed by an official confirmation on her social media account where a couple of images of Qamar diving underwater were also posted along with the title of the movie, ‘Kamli’, to arouse public interest.
For fans of the actress who is widely considered to be in a league of her own, this was long awaited. Though Qamar has earlier appeared in Pakistani films like ‘Manto’ (2015) and ‘Lahore Se Aagay’ (2016), which didn’t fare too well at the box office, Kamli might be her next big thing. Firstly, because it is helmed by award-winning actor-director Sarmad Sultan Khoosat, who has earlier worked with Qamar on a number of projects including telefilm ‘Aina’ (2013) and drama serials ‘Pani Jaisa Pyar’, ‘Main Manto’ (also its film version), and ‘Baaghi’.
Secondly, ‘Kamli’ comes at a time when Qamar is enjoying the best phase in her career: her stellar Bollywood debut (‘Hindi Medium’) opposite Irrfan Khan fetched her great accolades as well as Filmfare’s Best Actress nomination, which remains a first for any Pakistani crossover actor. Back home, she has churned out one formidable performance after another — consider ‘Baaghi’ or the recently concluded ‘Cheekh’. She is not just looking great these days, but also ever more confident and secure — check out her uninhibited performance at this year’s LUX Style Awards.
No prizes for guessing, Qamar plays the title role in ‘Kamli’. Which is also to say that if the film scores big at the ticket windows, she will have gained the most out of it.
‘Kamli’ is currently in its pre-production phase. Said to be an “intense romance,” the film is scripted by Fatima Sattar. Music is composed by Saad Sultan and Zulfiqar Ali.
