Archive

Meenu Screwalla may not be a very impressive name for a Parsi but her looks and role as a fiery journalist working for a TV channel are flattering in the recently released Pakistani film Actor in Law. Parsi quirks and mannerisms or the nuances of conversation may not have been picked up by actor Mehwish Hayat who plays Meenu, but her sense of right and wrong guides her to take a stand as a true-blue Parsi when she sees any kind of injustice. Portraying a Parsi has definitely raised Hayat’s worth for it shows her as more than just a pretty face in the film that dares to question many social vices of our society such as child labor, politics, load shedding and harassment of women with finesse and humor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The film though belongs to Fahad Mustafa who effortlessly plays Shan Mirza, an aspiring actor turned pseudo lawyer. His topnotch performance shows that he has evolved during his journey from screen actor to TV show host to cinestar who can act, emote and dance with ease. The misdeeds of public agencies that Shan exposes in court are featured on Meenu’s TV channel and the two embark on a series of public-interest litigations, picking up some powerful enemies along the way.
Another strong Parsi association is through the country’s founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah who in his youth aspired to be an actor, like the protagonist of the story, and loved a Parsi woman. When the hero proposes to Meenu she says, "But I am a Parsi.” It must have gladdened some bawas to hear his reply, "But Quaid-e-Azam also married a Parsi (Ratti Petit).” 
Adding to the Parsi quotient are two brief appearances by community actors:  Kaizer Irani (née Chowna) as the mother of the heroine and Maharukh Biladwala (popularly known as MOK) in a one-shot appearance as the grandmother. Kaizer came on Parsi stage as a teenager and went on to write, direct and play the lead role in skits. She has to her credit a role in a TV serial as well as a commercial play in Karachi. Her grandfather Burjor Bharucha (popularly known as "Malai”) was a popular comedian in Parsi nataks of his time. MOK is the queen of whacky roles most of which she has performed in short skits written by herself and presented at Asian Secretaries’ Congresses (which are held bi-annually in different member countries): playing an 84-year-old deaf woman, a robot secretary and a precocious two-year-old. The one she remembers most fondly was playing a two-year-old girl in A Day at the Office in Bombay in 2006 when she was actually 56, giving a free rein to her offbeat side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A seasoned Indian actor like Om Puri who has proven his mettle from Bollywood to Hollywood, appears to struggle a bit with heavy Urdu adjectives in Actor in Law. On the other hand, his scenes with Mustafa as a disapproving father are commendable, and his talent comes to the fore in his measured delivery in the finale forming a counterpoint to Mustafa’s theatrics. Om Puri is believed to have signed up for the film because "the theme of the script was very unique and clever as the title itself suggests.”
 Credit should be given to director Nabeel Qureshi and producer Fizza Ali Meerza who were colleagues at the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA), Karachi for also having written the story. They manage to say a great deal in a very short time with their succinct and eloquent dialogs and a truly effective screenplay indicating that Pakistani cinema is coming into its own.
The cinematography of Rana Kamran and editing by Asif Mumtaz is a triumph of new age Pakistani cinema, with attention to detail and art from the first frame.  Karachi has been captured beautifully with well-selected locations including the Karachi Parsi Institute (founded in 1893 to offer recreational and sports facilities to the community). Barring Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s soprano that is clearly identifiable in Khudaya and befits the situation, the other songs fail to impress.
On Bakri Eid (September 14, 2016) three Pakistani films were released with Actor in Law dominating the box office. There would hardly be a movie-going Parsi in Karachi who has not seen this film.