Sherdil

Shows personal and professional challenges really well.

"And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." If not before but now Mr. Nomaan Khan the writer & producer of recently released Pakistani film "SherDil" would have started believing in this famous quote from "The Alchemist". Nomaan Khan started working on this film project couple of years ago but events shown in "SherDil" has startling resemblance with recent Indo-Pak tension. "SherDil" is one of the most anticipated Pakistani films of this year and timely tribute to Pakistan Air Force.

"SherDil" has been directed by Azfar Jafri who is known for films like "Siyaah", "Janaan" and "Parchi". Though he has been associated with films from different genre but with "SherDil" he has added one more feather in his cap. Directing war film is not a child's play in Pakistan but Jafri has pulled it off with an ease. There are certain dull moments in "SherDil" but ignorable due to some witty dialogues and situations which maintain audience's interest in the film till the end.

The main offering of "SherDil" is its visual effects and cinematography of aerial combats which have been shot magnificently. Arguably such dogfights we have never seen in any film from subcontinent. There should be no doubt that "SherDil" will always be remembered for combat scenes between JF-17 Thunder and Mirage 2000. We must thank Scott Newman for providing believable visual effects and Riki Butland for unbelievable cinematography. Prior "SherDil" Riki Butland has been associated with Hollywood blockbusters like "Star Trek Byond" and "Fast & Furious 7". Services rendered by Scott Newman and Riki Butland for "SherDil" has raised the bar of Pakistani films to the next level.

Mikaal Zulfiqar is one of the main heartthrobs of Pakistani dramas and films, shines in "SherDil". There is always a low opportunity to show acting prowess in an out and out action film but still Mikaal Zulfiqar has done satisfactory job as a main lead and he looks believable in uniform. Hassan Niazi as nemesis of Mikaal Zulfiqar justifies his selection in "SherDil". His verbal confrontations with Mikaal Zulfiqar are one of the main features of "SherDil" which does not only provide entertainment but also shows glimpses of irk between Pakistan and India.

Writer and director of "SherDil" should be commended for not doing mud sledging while showing confrontation between a Pakistani and Indian fighter pilot. Though "SherDil" is an effort to boost patriotic and nationalistic feelings but same time refrains from spreading jingoism and war hysteria. Armeena Rana Khan and Sabeeka Imam are completely wasted in the film. May be storyline does not require their extended roles but one thing is certain their importance in "SherDil" is not more than the props. Music is completely irrelevant and forgettable, only drags the pacing of the film.

On the whole, "SherDil" is refined cinematic product from Pakistan which does not only entertain but also explain the current Pakistani standpoint towards India. One may brag to claim that "SherDil" has a power to convert the happenings of 26-27 February into mere its promotion. On positive note "SherDil" seems like Prime Minister Imran Khan's message to India in cinematic form which is nothing but Peace and Mutual Respect.

SherDil is a film that will definitely be memorable purely because of the turning point it will turn out as for the visual effects and CGI in the Pakistani Industry. Other than that, the film also hits all the right spots as a masala entertainer, and while it's not the best film out there, it's definitely a fun popcorn watch and to me that's what a costly ticket price should be worth, the grandeur.

The timing really helps as the story and many scenes reflect upon the recent Pak-India conflict. Let's break down the technicalities:

Story: I must admit that it is not something i'd purely enjoy on a laptop screen, the film is purely made for the big screen, hence why I didn't mind the script which had alot of flaws. It's very inconsistent, and goes haywire at times. The first half is great, after that there's just too much unnecessary stuff going on that's both dull and unnecessary. The Dubai scene could've been cut short ALOT and that random Don scene was just not needed. If you can look past that, it's very engaging as the ending is definitely satisfying. Dialogues are well written and had the script had a better direction or proper character development tau this would have been a revolutionary product. 5/10

VFX/Cinematography : Scott Newman and Muqeem Khan have done a fantastic job. Riki Butland has also brought his magic to the screen. You can tell the budget was huge. looks expensive and at points I could barely tell if it was CGI or real. The dog fights are fantastic, cinematography is breathtaking and these combined are the saving grace for the film. 9/10

Direction: Azfar Jaffri i feel didn't have much creative control because the tone feels like it's not his. I'm a fan of his previous work so this could've been better. Direction is not perfect, but it ties up the lazy script as best as it can and Jaffri deserves a credit for that. 7/10

Acting: overall the acting is very good with the exception of minor characters or extras who felt like were dubbed by random people. as for the whole cast, here's a breakdown: Mikaal: while he looks the part and commands good presence, his acting is hit or miss. in the start he's overdoing it and then his transition in five years isn't visible. his performance is decent but could've been much better. Armeena: i don't know if i can comment much as her voice was dubbed horribly. whatever differences the makers of the film had with her, it felt like they purposely had a bad voice actress do her dub. her expressions were fine, the tone of her voice ruined it all. Hassan Niazi: what a performance! he completely overshadowed Mikaal and brought his A game to the table. we need to see more of him. Sabeeka Imam: her accent was believable, although not accurate. her performance was slightly stiff but not bad at all. her scene with Hassan felt very natural and she definitely commanded presence for the limited time she was in. Samina Ahmed: as always, she rocks it. undoubtedly the best, i'm your biggest fan Samina ji! Additionally Leyla Zubairi gives a mediocre performance, where as Dr Uppal struggles to deliver his lines, clearly not an actor. I think however the breaking point in this cast are the new faces. Malik Aqeel has great comic timing and does justice to his character. Belal Shahid gives an impressive performance as he not only is able to play a backward character with perfection but does what Mikaal fails to do; his 5 year transition is spot on. Ibrahim Alavi is out of the three given more screen time and relevance and it is all deserved. He has the most natural delivery in the whole cast. He being a first timer completely outshines Mikaal and Armeena in all their scenes. Despite the lazy writing, he makes the scenes work with his subtle yet impactful performance. 7.5/10

Music: the soundtrack is well done and adds alot to the dogfights. at some parts the music is added to the scenes in a weird manner which it could've done without. 8/10

Songs: The military song is perhaps the best one as it not only sounds good but goes well with the training montage, i can definitely jam to it. The rest of the songs are decent but nothing special. Ho Jania is shot beautifully but it could have been choreographed better. The Club song is just weird and feels out of place and has very tacky lyrics, nor is it shot well with the both Hassan and Sabeeka giving dancing awkwardly. Ibrahim should've been given more space as he brings somewhat life to it. The film could've done without it honestly. Lastly, Kuri da Jhumka is a decent wedding number that people will definitely be playing at their Mehndi. All the boys carry it well and the choreography is good, although it could've been shot better. My only problem is the weird random chinese girl. What the hell was that? 7/10

Overall: the film has problems with the way it's excuted. Script was inconsistent and editing was very sloppy. However, decent performances by the cast, beautiful visuals, intense and well animated dog fights, an extremely funny first half and a very satisfying ending make up for decent cinematic experience. Overall i give the film an 8/10 as the pros outweigh the cons.

SherDil is an entertaining flight that has some flaws but you still have a lot of fun!

Super cool cast, excellent directions, super excellent/ flawless and realistic visual effects. A must watch movie that will invigorate patriotism. Timely release in cinema at the time of Indian Airforce's international humiliation. Story is very much realistic in contrast to over exaggerated biased Bollywood movies. Gives message of peace

I expected more out of this movie. A movie written by PFA should inspire the youth towards them and create a sense of pride. But unfortunately our Pakistani writers lack the creation of creative writing skills. The story had no links. It was jumping into different scenes one after the other. The love story made no sense, supporting actors had no role, family felt out of place and the dialogues; stolen from Facebook quotes. This movie could've been so much better if they removed love story, "marriage" and songs for every single actor in the movie!!