Money Back Guarantee – Why The Movie Failed To Give Audiences Their Money Back
The recent Faisal Qureshi thriller Money Back Guarantee failed to make headlines in the Pakistani cinematic universe. We’re telling you why.
The first two thoughts that come to one’s mind as an ardent film viewer and a film/drama critic are: firstly, if Pakistani filmmakers really seek the revival of Pakistani cinema, if they want to bring audiences back to the cinema, they will need to use a scientific approach. That is, start using focus groups, scriptwriters, and also consult advisers from around the world, especially from Bollywood. People who have made a name and are experts in the field of entertainment and movie making.
Secondly and unfortunately, even the power of Fawad Khan cannot save a film.
About Money Back Guarantee
Money Back Guarantee is written and directed by the uber-talented Faisal Qureshi of Teen Bata Teen fame. If you have been watching Pakistani TV throughout the 90’s and 2000’s you would definitely be a fan and familiar with Faisal’s work. The movie features a star-studded cast including Fawad Khan, Javed Sheikh, Mikaal Zulfiqar, Gohar Rasheed, Kiran Malik, Ayesha Omer, Hina Dilpazeer, Mani, Shayan, Shafaat Ali, Afzal Khan, Shayan Khan and Marhoom Ahmed as well as Wasim Akram and Shaniera Akram.
The narrative traces the story of a group of people who have been wronged by corrupt politicians, systems, and landlords. They decide to take their money back from all these people which is stored in a bank called Pak Bank.
So let’s get on with it…
The movie also teaches us that we must give the audiences what we promised them, do not misguide them – that is what the trailer of the movie did. The trailer created hype and promised audiences a heist movie with a distinctive Pakistani flavor. Fans anticipated sharp planning, a dose of action, comedy, and a sprinkling of witty political satire as part of the narrative. So here we are, holding a bag of popcorn with our fav Coke or Pepsi, ready to sink our teeth into a substantial and entertaining narrative.
Alas, but the film was nothing like what the trailer promised.
The film carries a continuous thread of political, ethnic, social, and cultural satires. Beginning with the names of the characters, like Sanam Baloch from Baluchistan, Munda Punjabi from Punjab, Ilyas Kashmiri from Kashmir to Christian Bale representing the minorities in Pakistan; every character in Money Back Guarantee has representation. On the one hand, we have to admire the creators for being so creative and using subliminal messaging but sadly this onslaught of messaging itself became the downfall of the movie. Messaging overdose, excessive representation of problems that the country faces socially and politically, and nonstop reminders of what is at risk and the consequences of our actions, cannibalize the movie and its sincere efforts and intentions.
Comedy is enjoyable if it hits in carefully spaced out sequences, if it is balanced with some neutral scenes, and doesn’t get too preachy. However, the script delivered an unrelenting dose of punch lines, which seemed to lose impact, merely because of the sheer volume of them. An hour into the movie when one relinquishes hope that the narrative might actually pick up, the perpetual punchlines cause viewer fatigue, as every successive dialogue aims to hit a home run. There is no respite and the mind does not get a breather to let it all sink in.
The other problem that the movie encounters is the generational relevance of the issues highlighted. The question to ask as a maker is: what percentage of today’s youth will be familiar with the social problems, and political and ethnic references that have been employed throughout the storytelling? And even though we were quite familiar with many occurrences dating to the 90’s and 2000’s, we failed to catch some symbolic references.
In addition, the political scenario in Pakistan has changed from the 90’s and early 2000’s. While the basic problems; political, economic, and social might be similar, there has been an evolution of sorts. So a reference to grievances between Pathan and Urdu speaking ethnicities which was a burning pressure point at one time, might not be so relevant today. The political instability and 2nd generation of political gamifies entering politics is a more relatable issue. The script was penned a few years ago and hence, fails to capture the current scenario, which again, impacts its relevance and relatability for audiences.
While film and drama are the most effective mediums to change mindsets, create awareness or send messages, they must be entertaining, they cannot be preachy. With so many problems in our daily life, audiences crave relief and that is why they go to watch a movie. Hence messaging has to be balanced and interestingly wrapped around entertainment.
A saving grace could have been the musical score, but alas, the songs too, are shouting out messages, loud and clear,
Performances
It is a treat to watch Fawad Khan in a dark, comic role. His performance is finely balanced, never going over the top and hitting just the right keys. So FK fans might just last through sitting out the entire movie and walk out feeling they were rightfully treated to their Fawad Khan cinematic dose.
The ensemble cast also delivers well within their individual capacity. It is refreshing to see many of them deliver comic roles since we have mostly seen them in sober or action-oriented roles. Shafaat Ali as Donald Trump was not bad. Wasim Akram and Shaniera turn out impressive performances for their debut film.
What could have saved the film?
Money Back Guarantee is a lost opportunity and an unfortunate example of how not to present a narrative because the effort is sincere, honest, and involves a great deal of hard work. If the film had turned out to be what it was made to seem in the trailer – a heist movie with an engaging, intelligently crafted plan on how to rob a multi-million dollar bank of its millions, with a dose of action and sharp strategies thrown in, and had these messages and political satire weaved into the narrative and not become the narrative itself, Money Back Guarantee could have been such an enjoyable and impactful film.
Last but not the last, no matter how skilled and experienced one is, the significance of evaluation from external and experienced persons or outfits cannot be ignored or taken too lightly. To be successful and impactful, creators have to ensure they evolve and grow with changing times, which doesn’t seem to be the case currently in the Pakistani film industry.
The movie stars Fawad Khan, Wasim Akram, Shaniera Akram, Mikaal Zulfiqar, Ayesha Omar, Jawed Sheikh, Jan Rambo, Mirza Gohar, Hina Dilpazir, Shayan Khan, Mani, Kiran Malik, Ali Safina, Marhoom Ahmad Bilal, Adnan Jaffer, Shafaat Ali, and Aqdas Waseem. Money Back Guarantee is written and directed by Faisal Qureshi and has Shayan Khan as an executive producer.
