Where one of the most anticipated movies of the year, Verna, delivered a turkey at the box office, and both Arth — The Destination and Rangreza, which opened on Thursday in Pakistan, have registered low occupancies, there is a small-budget film, titled Chupan Chupai, which might just turn out to be the dark horse.
Releasing on December 29 in Pakistan, this fun caper is supposed to be made in the tradition of con films like the Na Maloom Afraad series that have proved to be a successful model. What seems to be working in Chupan Chupai’s favour is the fact that it comes with no superlative tags or tall claims (remember Arth’s “Determination determine destiny”?). Besides, there’s a certain freshness about its cast that includes Ahsan Khan, Neelam Munir, Faizan Khawaja, and a host of new and veteran TV and theatre actors. Judging from its trailer and the videos that have followed, including the recently released Befikray song, the film seems to pack quite a punch. A club number, filmed in Dubai, is to be released next.
Directed by successful screenwriter-turned-filmmaker Mohsin Ali, Chupan Chupai also has some interesting names attached to it, such as the internationally acclaimed hair and make-up artist Aalim Hakim, the US-based cinematographer Jeffery Fountain, who has earlier shot TV shows like Dreamsville, and the band Soch Band who have composed its soundtrack.
