A helicopter blasting into pieces, angry Transformers rising from the deserts, spectacularly-shot intense fight-scenes, vivid graphics – the trailer of Project Ghazi drove us to the edge of our seats! For the longest time, we Pakistanis have only had American or Western fictional superheroes to be fond of – Superman, the Dark Knight, Wonder Woman. And, while DC and Marvel heroes are inevitably part of our pop culture, the venture of a home-grown Pakistani superhero is very, very exciting.
From the trailer, Project Ghazi, the first ever superhero film produced and directed in Pakistan, looks very interesting, to say the least. Packed with thrilling, knife-edge action, FUCHSIA foresees that this genre will be a breath of fresh air in the Pakistani film industry. Depicting an enthralling sci-fi feel, the trailer shows heroes sporting plush, black superhero costumes as they champion their cause.
These include brief snippets of the strong female presence of Syra – essentially a scientist, who also participates in all the action. Without giving away too much of the storyline, the trailer manages to weave a ‘fight-for- justice’ plot. Project Ghazi revolves around an extraordinary batch of super soldiers who have pledged to restore peace in the country and battle the powerful masked villain, Qataan, played by Adnan Jaffer. With heartthrob Humayun Saeed, guy-next- door Sheheryar Munawar, and the pretty and versatile Syra Shahroz, we’re all thinking, ‘Now that’s a stellar cast!’.
The sequence of scenes does well to lend a grave, serious tone to the movie: sturdy soldiers with sensors on their arms, sombre conversations between characters, pounding sound effects, heavy artillery, gloomy color – they all add to the war-like theme. The thought-provoking dialogue in the trailer, “Fauji ka kaam jang dhuundhna nahin, aman yaqeeni banaana hai”. (“A soldier’s objective is not to search for war but to ensure that peace prevails.”) increases our faith in the guiding concept behind the film. With all the issues facing Pakistan today, such inspiration and hope is much needed. One of the main reasons Sheheryar Munawar approved Project Ghazi so readily was that, to him, the film portrayed the right idea of nationalism – one which is positive, and saves the day.
We Pakistanis should be really proud that a completely fresh film such as Project Ghazi is creating a buzz in the industry, and it could very well be a game changer. Director, Nadir Shah, sees a very bright future for superhero films in Pakistan, and believes Project Ghazi will break all stereotypes. Having seen the trailer, FUCHSIA has both high expectations and hopes for the movie, and are looking forward to 14 July.
nicely written! 🙂