Pakistani cinema continues making waves in global art circles. Shoaib Sultan’s film ‘Gunjal’ has been selected for the 12th Indian Cine Film Festival-24 in Mumbai, India. This script is written by Nirmal Bano, Ali Kazmi, and Shoaib Sultan while the film is directed by Shoaib Sultan.
Gunjal will be screened in Mumbai on September 15th, another milestone the film and its makers will have achieved. On April 30, Shoaib won the debut director award for Gunjal at the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival in New Delhi, India.
The film’s cast includes Ahmed Ali Akbar, Resham, Amna Ilyas, Ahmed Ali Butt, and Omair Rana.
The story revolves around the acquittal of the man accused of murdering teenaged activist Iqbal Masih, as journalist Shahbaz Bhatti identifies glaring loopholes in the verdict, and begins a quest for justice. But each lead he follows contradicts the one before, and the twisted story reveals the ugly truth of child labor in 1990’s Pakistan. The film has an 8.5 rating on IMDB.
Pakistani director Shoaib Sultan has won the debut director award for his film ‘Gunjal’ at the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival in New Delhi, India. The achievement is a big milestone for both Sultan and Pakistani cinema.
The festival, which celebrates great filmmaking, featured films from around the world, and Sultan’s work shone brightly among them. Sultan thanked the organizers, saying the award is a big step forward for Pakistani cinema.
‘Gunjal’, a Pakistani movie released on December 15, 2023, has gotten a lot of attention for its talented cast, including Ahmed Ali Akbar, Resham, and Amna Ilyas.
Speaking from Saudi Arabia, where he currently resides, Sultan expressed his gratitude for the honor bestowed upon him.
He said, “The award has encouraged everyone in the Pakistani film and cinema industry.’ He added that support from the current government and the announced funding for the Pakistani film industry will lead to the production of better films and provide people with better opportunities to watch movies.
The thriller mystery film ‘Gunjal’ is set to release in a few weeks and Ahmed Ali Akbar is about to take on a challenging role that will completely change the way the entertainment industry has seen him. The actor is will essay the role of journalist Shahbaz Bhatti who investigates the events surrounding the death of prominent child labor activist Iqbal Masih.
If you, like the rest of us, are anxiously waiting for the arrival of the movie, we recommend you watch some amazing projects he did in the past. We’re listing down some dramas that definitely show the range and seductiveness of Ahmed.
1 Yehe Raha Dil (2017)
Yes, we know the first drama that comes to your mind is ‘Parizaad’ but please don’t pay dismiss this series. Ahmed proves his chemistry with Yumna is superior to any other we’ve seen, and deserves more coverage. Even years past its release, fans are not over the amazing chemistry between the two and are still hoping that there’s a chance we might get another drama with the two of them and yes, we’re absolutely standing with this.
Ahmed ali akbar and yumna zaidi as onscreen couple are so fkn underrated that it makes me sad
Mansha Pasha and Ahmed were terrifyingly good in the thriller ‘Lal Kabootar’. They once more left audiences in awe with their roles in ‘Idiot’. Ahmed’s character questions the traditions and values of society, for which he is regarded as an ‘idiot’, saying things other people are too afraid to say.
3 Parizaad (2021)
Now coming to the drama that turned everyone into an Ahmed Ali Akbar fan. He stars as Parizaad, a man who sets out on a journey to understand the meaning of life, while coming across different people on his path. Since its release two years ago, the message of the drama and how brilliantly Ahmed carried the drama are still on point.
Upcoming thriller ‘Gunjal’ is the talk of the town, a film that promises to revive the industry with an insight into the crisis of child abuse in Pakistan. The film boasts of a star-studded cast with the likes of Ahmed Ali Akbar, Resham, Ahmed Ali Butt, Samiya Mumtaz and Amna Ilyas. The team behind ‘Gunjal’ was present at the prelaunch event held at University of Management and Technology (UMT) where we got some interesting details about the film, including the wholesome reason why Resham wanted to work with Ahmed Ali Akbar.
When is ‘Gunjal’ releasing?
Gunjal will release in theatres across Pakistan on 8th December.
What roles will Ahmed Ali Akbar and Resham be playing?
Ahmed Ali Akbar will be playing the role of journalist Shahbaz Bhatti, who investigates the murder of prolific child activist Iqbal Masih. Speaking at the event, Ahmed opened up about his reason for choosing the role.
“Gunjal is inspired by the life of a prolific child activist and is an insight into the trials and tribulations of Iqbal Masih and what he went through, and the conditions he was working in under and the events that took place. It’s also about the life of a regular person who overtime, through the eyes of Iqbal Masih, starts to see things that are very common around us, yet we don’t notice them.”
“It’s about the rights of children… and is inspired by Iqbal Masih’s legacy,” stressed Ahmed. “It’s very relevant, on what Iqbal wanted to accomplish, it was relevant then and is still now. It’s happening in front of us. So I feel it is our duty but it takes time to act upon it.”
Resham said her role in ‘Gunjal’ was quite different from her previous films. She plays Sarwat, the founder of a newspaper ‘Nai Subh’. Resham explained that her character tries to ensure her journalistic stories are focused on truth and justice.
The sweet reason behind why Resham wanted to work on Gunjal: Ahmed Ali Akbar
Resham also shared the sweet reason that propelled her to take part in the film, revealing it was her desire to work with Ahmed Ali Akbar.
“I had watched all of ‘Parizaad’ from that point on I really wanted to work with him. While Ahmed’s drama was airing I didn’t watch it because I was suffering from depression and had lost a lot friends. Then I decided to watch all the episodes on Youtube. After finishing it, I made a prayer to Allah while watching alone, that I hoped to work with this man some day. Two-and-a-half months later the film’s director Shoaib sahab reached out and asked if I would act in his film. I asked who would be the hero, and he said ‘Ahmed Ali Akbar’. I said ‘The Parizaad one!’ and was overjoyed!”
Resham shared she had watched the last episode of Parizaad with Ahmed, which she said she was extremely lucky for. “Despite the fact that I’m his senior, but I’m still a huge fan of his.”
Social media was set ablaze yesterday when the official trailer for the upcoming film ‘Gunjal’ released on all platforms, promising to take users on a thrilling journey about one of the darkest cases in Pakistan. We are incredibly happy to witness the Pakistani industry shift its filmmaking approach and step into more complex social issues. Here are some reasons why we’re super excited to watch ‘Gunjal’:
1 It explores the investigation of the murder of prominent children right’s activist Iqbal Masih
For most of our audience members who don’t know Iqbal Masih, he was a vocal critic of abusive child labour in Pakistan, a state he escaped at the age of 10. Because of his protests, Iqbal was able to free more than 3000 children from forced slavery. He visited countries like the US and Sweden where he advocated for an end to bonded labour. However, Iqbal was tragically shot by unknown culprits at the age of 12. But his efforts to eradicate bonded labour didn’t go unnoticed as he posthumously received World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child in 2000, and later the Sitara-e-Shujaat in 2022 from President Arif Alvi.
2 The cast list includes thespians like Resham and Ahmed Ali Akbar
After the success of dramas like ‘Gunah’ and ‘Churails’, as well as Sarmad Khoosat’s ‘Zindagi Tamasha’, it’s clear that Pakistanis want something else other than saas-bahu content. A film like ‘Gunjal’ will ignite the audience’s curiosity and encourage more to watch the film in theatres, because this is a clear opportunity to bring more diverse stories back on our screens.
3 We need more crime thrillers in Pakistan
After the success of dramas like ‘Gunah’ and ‘Churails’, as well as Sarmad Khoosat’s ‘Zindagi Tamasha’ it’s clear that Pakistanis want something else other than saas-bahu content. Clearly, a film like ‘Gunjal’ will ignite the audience’s curiosity and encourage more to watch the film in theatres, because this is a clear opportunity to bring more diverse stories back on our screens.
Gunjal is directed by Shoaib Sultan and written by Nirmal Bano and Ali Kazmi, and its set to release in theatres across Pakistan on December 8.
