Verna

ShoMan is back but his movie doesn't match the standards set by his previous movies. Mahira Khan was fantastic with the role of Sara. She acted like a total badass as the script required. The role of Sultan played by Zarar Khan is top notch, he captures the essence of the character perfectly. Haroon Shahid was okay but his character could have been a lot more. The acting by other secondary characters(parents of Sara and Aami) wasn't up to par, their acting in some scenes was laughable. Shoaib Mansoor had a strong topic in rape but he didn't execute it well. Character development was zero for a 155 minutes movie, the characters basically stay the same throughout the movie except Aami which too looks forced. The movie seemed prolonged, adding bits which were unneeded. The good bit was the somewhat accurate portrayal of problems faced by rape victims from family, police and court and Mahira Khan. I had high hopes for this movie, but the script which started good turns into a desi movie crap (lots of songs, sheer stupidity by characters, substandard acting, unfair vengeance).

Verna is an intense verdict of the Gods on earth and power hungry society, it truely depict the old proverb " jiski laathi uski bhains". This movie scars your soul from the bitter truth around you. It defines the VIP culture and if one takes a stand how the feudal lords and earthly gods can assassinate your soul and self respect and in matter need also your life.

Praises to Shoaib Mansoor as he always picks up reality based topics to potray our culture and its associated issues. Indeed the topic of rape in our eastern society is very sensitive and post event circulstances are unexplainably hurtful for the victim and family. But the truch is that we have adopted such a narrow mind set basically from the hindus which is indoctrinated in our soul like many other elements from birth to death i.e our wedding events, our births and deaths and image of widows and rape victims. The way Shoaib directed the movie is fabulous. I believe no one could have done the leading lady role better then Mahira khan in our industry. She acted very well and deserves applause. Same goes for Haroon shahid, even though it was the firat time i saw him, but indeed he did good. He could have shown alittle more insecure and angry at certain stages in movie but overall, he was good Role of Zarrar, he defined the what a the liniages of our so called rulers and the way they consider a common man more of a scum then human was astonishing, i liked his acting alot. Music could have been alot better keeping in mind the brillian music of Khuda ke liye and soulfull main theme of bol. Keeping in mind our industry, such films when complete there twnure in cinemas, should be shown on TV and should be available on stream medias; as it is impossible to search them and watch them. I must say its a definite watch for any person of our middle class society to express them that at times in life, one must take a stand because somethings are worth fighting for.

Verna is the first Pakistani movie I have seen in cinema. I made the effort because I respect Shoaib Mansoor directorial style. Bol is one of my all time favourite film and Khuda Ke Liye was great. It takes courage, flair and ingenuity to hold a mirror up to the society and make it entertaining as well.

Verna did not meet my expectations. If Bol is 10 and KKL 8, Verna is only 5. I would still recommend people to watch it, as ShoMan's 5 is a 15 as compared to other directors.

Haroon Shahid is seriously miscast as the husband. The role requires a lot more shades than he is capable of. Pitching an actor in his first role against Mahira Khan does a disservice to both of them. Zarrar Khan is perfect as Sultan. He is charming and scary in turns. Naimal Khawar is given nothing to do. Rasheed Naz and the woman vakil are a bit too over the top in their dramatics.

The main problem with Verna is that it is hard to relate to Sara and her choices. Instead of brave, she comes across as a stubborn and privileged woman, who has complete disregard for the impact her decisions has on everyone around her. The last act of Verna feels more like from a Bond movie than something that can happen in reality.

I guess Pakistan filmmakers are bound by social & political restrictions on what can be shown, but Shoaib Mansoor must be held responsible that Verna is a lot less hard hitting than his previous films.

Final - Despite the flaws, still worth watching. Some TV serials these days are more gripping.

This explorers deep in human emotions, when they are pushed to their limit and do anything for justice, revenge and hate. Humans always had been strange in ways to do desperate things. Probably why the film is having mix reviews, is because people are not use to watching films like theses about the deeper, emotional minds of people.

Verna is one of the best films made in Pakistan. It is bold, intriguing and full of emotions. The film raises some important questions in the society related to politics and men. The film is surely a cinematic brilliance and it needs to be seen by every Pakistani. Shoaib Mansoor has given us another masterpiece after Khuda Kay Liye and Bol. And of course Mahira Khan is best as usual. So, overall, this film is a MUST watch.