The eagerly anticipated and highly publicised Shoaib Mansoor film titled ‘Bol’ was screened to a packed audience gathered at one of Karachi’s hottest leisure spots, the Atrium Cinema. The premiere had the feel of a proper movie opening, with stars such as Reema, Meera, Fiza Ali and singer Fakhir walking along the red carpet. The stars of Bol were also at hand to watch their work materialise on screen. The Geo production is set in the heart of Lahore and revolves around a family consisting of seven sisters and one brother. The eldest sister of the family is played by Humaima Malik who is often at loggerheads with her father over his extreme religious views. The other stars of the movie included Mahira Khan, pop idol Atif Aslam and model turned actress, Iman Ali. The father of the family, played brilliantly by Manzar Sehbai, runs his family with an iron fast and takes his religion very seriously. In most cases, almost too seriously, much to the anguish of his daughters, who feel stifled in their small two-room house.
As the movie unfolds, it deals with a lot of issues prevalent in our society, such as the oppression of women, homosexuality, birth control, domestic violence and sexual assault. Bol also takes a look at Lahore’s underbelly, which is filled with transvestites, brothels, pimps and prostitutes. Most of the acting was fairly decent, but the two actors that really carried the show were Humaima Malik and Manzar Sehbai. Some of the other actors at the premiere were happy with the film and even praised the young child star, who played the role of the youngest brother. “Humaima and Mahira’s acting was quite good. But for me the real show stealer was the little boy who played the role of the younger brother, while he was in his earlier years. The concept overall was quite good and the movie touched on some important issues,” said statuesque actress and model Fiza Ali as she spoke to The News after the movie. Another celebrity who was thought the movie was a reasonable success was singer Fakhir. “It was a good movie. I think it is safe to say that this could be a successful commercial venture and after it comes off the cinemas, they must show it on television channels for everyone to see,” said the pop star. At the end of the movie, the stars of Bol were greeted by friends, family and the media as they were congratulated over their performances. “We’ve done our bit,” said Manzar Sehbai. “Now it is up to the audience to decide whether the film is a success or not. Let us see what they have to say,” he added. The actors seemed thrilled with their performances and appeared to be one big happy family once outside the theater. Posing for the cameras, the predominantly female cast was dressed in their finest evening wear. Even the guests who were invited to the premiere did their best to look the part and managed fairly well.
