If the last couple of years have been formidable for Sarmad Khoosat - whose theatrical performances in Jhaanjar Di Paanwaan Chhankaar, No Time to Sleep (essaying Prisoner Z) and having teamed up with Nimra Bucha more than once for theatre projects have been nothing short of genius – 2020 is the year where he returns, once again, to the medium of cinema wearing the director’s hat.
Sarmad’s Khoosat Films is releasing, in 2020, among other films, a female-led project called Kamli, who’s first still featuring Saba Qamar released a while back and created quite the buzz. But now the official first look of the film is out and it features Saba Qamar and Sania Saeed set against winter-esque nighttime landscape. It’s shot beautifully; it makes you inquisitive about the upcoming film and it makes you wonder exactly what is going on?
The incredible part is that Sarmad Khoosat has worked with all three actors previously and shares chemistry with all of them. “I directed Saba in Pani Jaisa Pyar, and then Manto – so these are pretty much my Manto girls by the way…”
Yes, Saba Qamar was also in Manto…
“One played the wife [Sania Saeed], one played the alter ego [Nimra Bucha] and one played the muse [Saba Qamar],” says Sarmad Khoosat.
He carries on: “The three of them are together again in this film.”
Manto came years ago and was among the first wave of films that reinvented cinema. Now you’re getting back to direction at a precarious time. What does it feel like?
Notes Sarmad, “Films are so expensive; I mean, yes, I wish there was not this kind of break but Manto released in 2015 so it’s literally like 5 years now…”
You’ve also acted with all three of them?
“Yes, Saba, I also directed in Aina in Shabnam ji wala role; I directed her in Manto, Pani Jaisa Pyar so technically this is our fourth project together. With Nimra, I’ve acted onstage quite a few times actually and I’ve directed Sania a lot as well.”
There is a lot of buzz around Kamli and it’s considered one of the big films of 2020 particularly with Saba Qamar starring in it.
“I hope so,” says Sarmad, “Kamli has a strong theme and I don’t think mainstream should deplete a film of strong content – something to say. If you have nothing to say, why would you tell a story? So, Kamli is absolutely female centric. It is about three very strong female characters. This is me inching towards the mainstream, as they call it. It’s heavy on music; it’s shot outdoors so it’s a very different film… What I can say is that they are extremely layered characters and usually one thinks that in order to make a story relevant, it needs to be set in an urban milieu, you know urban landscape. That I sort of disagree with.”
Sarmad concludes by saying: “Characters have more universal traits; they are more prototypical or more archetypal. So, this is definitely another setting. It’s not an urban setting but these characters to me are pretty universal, the conflicts are very layered; and it’s an intense film.”
from The News International - Instep Today https://ift.tt/35bfAP6
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