Sohai Ali Abro is riding high on the critical acclaim she has received for her bravura performance in Motorcycle Girl. It is decidedly a screen role of a lifetime for an actress her age and experience. Second-time film director and writer Adnan Sarwar has also been praised for this simple yet gripping tale of a middle-class girl from Lahore, Pakistan, who must fulfil her deceased father’s dream to travel up to the Khunjerab Pass on a motorbike.
Based on the true story of Zenith Irfan, 23, the film fictionalises a few things here and there but largely stays faithful to the real account. Irfan’s rise from a submissive but exceptionally talented worker in an advertising agency to a woman of substance who won’t take any nonsense is inspiring. And Abro lives Zenith’s character. Along the way, the film also raises some important issues related to women empowerment and mobility in a deeply patriarchal society such as ours.
Unfortunately, all the appreciation and accolades haven’t translated into numbers at the ticket windows. This has prompted team Motorcycle Girl to launch a post-release promotional campaign. The actor-director duo has begun making surprise visits to different cinema houses in Karachi, besides visiting colleges and universities. Abro also participated in a bike rally.
