Media Magick

Pakistani filmmakers seem to find romantic comedies mixed with boy and girl running away from their family quite lucrative at the box office; that’s what we saw in films like Chhalawa, Wrong No. 2, Balu Mahi; that’s what we’ll probably witness with upcoming films like Heer Maan Ja and that’s exactly what we notice in Hisham Bin Munawar’s Ready Steady No. Ready Steady No is written, produced and directed by Hisham Bin Munawar. The film features Faisal Saif and Amna Ilyas as main leads, besides them there are some senior television actors like Salman Shahid, Ismail Tara, Nargis Rasheed etc. who have also done a few films. Freshness in Pakistani cinema is greatly needed, it can be about content, execution, treatment and faces. Let’s see if Ready Stead No offers any freshness or something of value (read entertainment) to viewers.

Trailer: Ready Steady No

The plot of Ready Steady No is as simple as ABC, Razia (Amna Ilyas) loves Faisal (Faisal Saif) but their parents are against them and want them to get married in their caste. The lovebirds plan to run away to get married. What happens once they run away from their homes is what Ready Steady No is all about. And it’s very predictable most of the times. There are several characters in the film which provide comic relief and that’s pretty much it.

Hisham Bin Munawar manages to deliver fresh content as a writer and a few of his jokes stay with audience once they leave the cinema but as director he needs to ace his game bigtime. Munawar’s film is more like a loud stage play than a proper feature film with aesthetics and cinematic delights. Frames are conveniently made out and that’s something which is consistent throughout the film. A few jokes fall flat and others make audience smile thanks to veteran actors like Nayyar Ejaz, Ashraf Khan and Ismail Tara who can turn any line in to interesting.

Amna Ilyas plays her part well and does justice with her character that is of a happy go lucky and naïve girl who is head over heels for her lover. Faisal needs to work quite hard to be remembered by audiences, in Ready Steady No he neither gets to showcase comedy, romance nor emotional drama. He seems to be as significant in the film as Sami Khan was in Wrong No. 2. Marhoom Ahmed Bilal as the advocate is effective but could have been better if the script had been a little tighter. Afzal Zain as Moulana is good at places but a little loud in most of the scenes.

Nayyar Ejaz as palmist and moulana aces it and proves that he is an actor who knows no bounds. Ejaz makes audience laugh and also impresses them with his performance. Ismail Tara is first rate. Salman Shahid and Nargis Rasheed are both very loud, they do have a few interesting and witty scenes in the climax where they excel bigtime.

The music of Ready Steady No is average and none of the songs stay with audience once they leave the cinema. So, there’s zero recall value.

All in all, Ready Steady No offers a fresh script and is an earnest attempt; it will be liked by those who like stage plays and are in to loud comedy. The major savior of the film is its climax which is 20 – 25 minutes long and keeps audience engaged and entertained. The film becomes interesting after interval.

Go watch it if you support Pakistani cinema.