First-time filmmaker Asim Abbasi’s Cake has found acceptance among niche audiences. Although it is yet to break even at the box office, this modestly budgeted but heavily promoted feature starring Aaminah Shaikh, Sanam Saeed, and Adnan Malik in central roles, has been showing in cinemas across Pakistan, UK, and the UAE to great reviews.
Three weeks into its release, the collections are still steady. The film recently opened in the US and Canada also. But the London-based writer-director isn’t content with just this much.
His PR team has come up with a unique idea that should push the ticket sales up. They have planned a series of back stories for all the main characters, starting with Zara (played by Saeed) whose married life isn’t depicted in the film. It’s about “the things left unsaid,” goes a recent post by Cake’s official Instagram page admin, followed by a picture of Saeed with (apparently) Adnan, her screen husband. “…for those of you who… are wondering, what was Zara’s life before Cake... Well, brace yourself,” the post further reads.
This is an interesting gimmick, but it is expected to work only with the audiences who have seen the film already. This should intrigue them to watch the movie again. The admin makes it clear that this is “extra content” and “was not part of the feature film or main storyline, and will be released separately online.”
