Bol has a star studded cast with TV actor Humaima Abbasi making her
feature film debut and Khuda Kay Liye star Iman Ali playing a courtesan.
PHOTOs: PUBLICITY
LAHORE: In 2009, actor
and producer Aamir Khan was spotted in different cities in India at
events such as weddings. It was a promotional tactic inspired from the
plot of his then-upcoming film, 3 Idiots, which sees his
friends embarking on a road trip to hunt for Khan. The strategy helped
propel the film to break box office records.
Whether it was offering free haircuts inspired by his bald look before the release of Ghajini (2008) or the 3 Idiots
campaign, Khan is known for his pre-publicity tactics, his new ideas
and professionalism and so is Shoaib Mansoor in Pakistan. But when it
comes to promoting a film, the two are miles apart. The story of his
first feature film, Khuda Kay Liye, was kept under wraps by
Mansoor. The director, who has made some of Pakistan’s most popular
television serials including "Ankahi” and "Alpha Bravo Charlie”, is
notoriously ive and hard to pin down. He rarely makes public
appearances.
Even though his second film Bol, which was recently cleared by the Pakistan Film Censor Board, is slated to release soon, Mansoor is staying quiet.
"I make films on sensitive issues. If I reveal the content of the
movies beforehand it might lose vitality,” Shoaib Mansoor told The Express Tribune.
When asked about the release of the film, he said some issues had to be
settled with the distributors but it would hit the cinemas soon.
According to a source, the film is slated for release in January 2011.
According to the film’s website, Bol is set in Lahore and focuses on a household of women. Iman Ali, who starred in Khuda Kay Liye, plays the role of a courtesan.
The film’s cast includes Humaima Malik, Atif Aslam, Iman Ali, Mahira Khan, Shafqat Cheema, Manzar Sehbai and Zaib Rehman.
Several students from the National College of Arts’ (NCA) filmmaking department have assisted Mansoor on the film.
Former principal of NCA and human rights activist Salima Hashmi told The Express Tribune,
"Shoaib is a very courageous filmmaker. His earlier film created a
debate on various interpretations of Islam. Nobody at that time imagined
that the film could be a hit because it was based on a very
hard-hitting topic. I believe that Bol will also open up a
debate on women’s issues which is always good to solve problems. This is
how a great filmmaker can contribute to society.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 13th, 2010.
