The Martial Artist

The directorial debut of Shaz Khan is not only about a martial artist, as the title says, but a story of human connections. Ibby's complex family dynamics are very relatable. The movie is an emotional roller coaster highlighting the journey of an angry and scared young man learning to face his fears. He's seeking the truth about his identity while managing the relationships with his loved ones. Ibby's journey is soulful and kept me engaged throughout the movie.

Shaz has beautifully blended both eastern and western cultures. The fight scenes were realistic and meticulously choreographed. They showed how intensely he trained for this role. The story, though a little confusing at times, didn't take anything from the movie. I am in complete awe of the gorgeous cinematography. Shaz has done justice to the beautiful landscape of Pakistan. As an actor Shaz was excellent, and his costars - Thesa Loving, Babar Peerzada, Faran Tahir & Sanam Saeed - all performed exceedingly well. Beautiful background score was serene & intense at the same time depending on scenes. It truly touched my heart.

His hard work and dedication to his craft are apparent. Shaz - you've done a remarkable job. We look forward to seeing you on the silver screen in years to come!

Shaz khan did a phenomenal job. From the acting to the scenes, directing as well as casting. The movie was brilliant and well put together- thoroughly enjoyable. I was engrossed in the hints as well as details of each scene curious to watch this boy find his way. I laughed and cried. The movie had depth to it and didn't feel like your average cinema. That is what made this film so special. The fight scenes were intense and Shaz's training and hard work was apparent. The spots chosen were epic, from the desert to the mountains and Belize. The green kurtas for that fight scene? Well chosen.

A heartwarming film about a young boy who finds his passion trying to make a career in fighting aka MMA. He's ambitious, it's personal but he's very angry. Angry about the loss of his father, the struggles his mother went through financially to raise them, not being able to provide for his rich girlfriend who he desires to be able to take care of, angry about the lack of support in the cultural community for his chosen career path and his mothers disappointment towards him. Shaz did a great job of capturing the cultural barriers and nuances of his character well and the perfect scene for this was at a community event where all south Asian kids can attest to- the perfect place to fall prey or find themselves in the ring with full blown jabs from uncles and aunty's.

After an incident where his mother publicly shames him at an event, he gets triggered and continues to deal with it in the way always known to him. Ibby also copes with substances and loses control of himself in an addiction. His ego doesn't allow anyone to help him, even his brother.

The turning point for him is when his brother dies. He felt responsible for his death and was unable to accept that he was gone. Ibbys compounded grief gets the best of him and the relationships around him. Ibby was strong and fought many fights and won hence "the prince" but he was not ready for the internal fight the one necessary to conquer. Ibby is lost. His brother coached him through his techniques on physically fighting but was unable to coach his mind. Ibby was not ready to listen.

The second half focuses on the art of fighting- attainting mental resilience and spiritual guidance which was intriguing. Shaz directed scenes very well capturing the state of peace Ibby reaches through profound dialogues from Farhan Tahir "dada". There was a non verbal script to tune into as well as the few words of wisdom that communicated large lessons. One of my favorite lines "you are not depressed, you are not allowing expansion". And the scene where he reaches internal peace captured through the sounds of birds and serenity atop a green mountains. Ibbys grandfather helps him face it all and Ibbys fragmented sense of self becomes whole. The message- that once you are unified, felt your pain, liberated from constructs, you can see things clearly- gauging your opponents moves, planning and problem solving

Ibbys transformation stage, the tail end of the movie was brilliant. His beard, the look of an enlightened person, grounded, ready, connected culturally- whole. There are so many themes Shaz tapped into I don't think I can compile it all here. The end fight scene captured how his body was as dada said "just a vessel" and that his mind is what kept him from falling. He won the fight because his mind kept his body strong- mind over matter. It was definitely high level but also something in it for everyone. All and all a wonderfully depicted film and definitely my favorite film so far! We need more films like this. Thank you for your contribution and epic, invigorating film.

For the last 10 years, I've been wondering when the Pakistani film industry released a martial arts-related film. My question has finally been answered after such a long time. Funny I've heard about this film was in production since two years ago, I've managed to book it in Nantgawr of all places (strange they didn't bother to screen it in Cardiff where most Pakistani communities are).

The story isn't something original that I haven't seen before; however, it is unique to Pakistani standards. The main protagonist happens to be the antagonist for himself, too, and the story is pretty simple, too.

The fight choreography was pretty good, no quick cuts or shaky cams, all in one take and especially for cinematic quality it was pretty good, although films like Teefa in Trouble did much better in creativity, this film is not only serious in tone but also one on one most of the time.

Overall, the film wasn't the best martial arts film, but it certainly delivers. It's also catered to the more Western-born audience as 90% of the film is in English instead of Urdu, don't expect your typical masala type of film because it's quite serious in tone. 7.5/10.

The movie starts of a little fast for the first 30 minutes or so with scenes seeming unfinished at the start but after movie the goes to Pakistan it gets much better with amazing visuals and choreography. As it comes to the mid section and ending the cuts are less dramatic and we the audience are able to take in the emotions more with beautiful acting done by all the cast

I would recommend this to everyone but not the dubbed version, the dubbed doesn't mesh well with unclear dialogue in some of the dialogues

I would absolutely recommend at this time when movies have became stagnant and lack luster.

Enjoyed the story and plot thoroughly. The movie kept my attention and the characters were well represented by the actors.

The cinematography was exceptional and I enjoyed the movie quite a bit Would recommend to a friend

The main actor was brilliant, enjoyed watching him on screen The movie had various elements relatable to a South Asian in western cultures and martial art sports traditionally thought of as western sports. The cultural aspect of the movie was interesting and I could relate quite a bit Would recommend to a friend or family member who enjoys martial arts and related movies. Will watch again !