‘Huey Tum Ajnabi’ is a love story set against war of 1971 | The Express Tribune

Trailer for feature film Huey Tum Ajnabi, starring Mikaal Zulfiqar and Sadia Khan, is finally out and playing in cinemas nationwide.

The little-known film features a love story set against the backdrop of the 1971 war. Directed by Kamran Shahid, it sees protagonists Nizamuddin (Zulfiqar) and Zeenat (Khan) in Dhaka University of pre-partition Bangladesh some 50 years ago.

The trailer begins with snippets of the calm before the storm as it goes on to narrate a tale of lovers, destined to meet and fall apart. It sees Zulfiqar and Khan’s characters romancing each other against magnificent sets, reminiscent of age-old hawelis.

Its striking visuals fall flat, though, when muddled with VFX-laden visuals of war. The trailer goes on to show protests, as well politicians cooking up schemes to bring about mayhem. Coveting mass destruction and death, it culminates into a polarizing narrative patronized by several historical tropes and travesties.

Predictably, the film is not going to have a happy ending either, suggested the trailer closes with the conceivable sacrifice of a hero, the annihilation of a monument and glimpses of a systematic campaign of genocidal rape. It also looks at the consequence of a political rift driven by greed and power, and the displacement of millions.

If not gauged from a politically-directed or jingoistic lens, the film may present some hard-earned truths amidst a sea of propaganda-based offerings. Especially since it marks a journalist’s venture into filmmaking.

Aside from Zulfiqar and Khan, Huey Tum Ajnabi features Shamoon Abbasi, Sohail Ahmed, Mahmood Aslam and Shafqat Cheema, Samina Peerzada and Ayesha Omar. The film is being distributed by Mandviwalla Entertainment.

Watch the trailer here: 

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