The latest horror sensation of Pakistan’s film industry Pari has certainly answered all the questions and fingers raised after the release of its trailer. Never before have the people witnessed such a smooth effort in the league of horror movies by the Pakistani industry. Set amongst the exotic wilderness of Ayubia which serves as the perfect location for the movie, Pari is indeed a step ahead for the Pakistani cinema.
Directed and co-written by Syed Atif Ali, Pari brings us a rather unique yet intriguing example of horror genre. It carries a strong sensation and essence of Urdu literature which is very rare yet appreciable indeed. The story line is very well thought of, only with very few noticeable glitches for the viewers. Every character, every incident and every object connects to the main story perfectly, making it complete and without any loose ends which are generally common in horror films.
Pari carries a strong story telling element. The first half of the movie builds up the plot gradually keeping the suspense alive. Whereas the second half lifts up the tempo of the movie as the climax approaches.
The cast of the movie is very balanced as well. The leads, Junaid and Azekah, despite appearing for the first time in major roles, have put up a satisfactory performance on the big screen. With simply a splendid performance, senior artists in the cast especially Saleem Mairaj prove their amazing talent yet again. The childstar of the movie, Khushi has also done a great job. Full marks for the casting.
Also, as we know that message oriented content has been the trademark of our Pakistan’s industry which is well appreciated by the viewers as well. Now one would think it would be a near to impossible task to live up to those standards by making a horror film. Well Pari has surprisingly done the impossible. The movie brings to us a variety of strong messages that relate to our society. It certainly has kept our expectation.
However makeup detailing and musical element could have been more polished. Horror and scare element of the movie was certainly not highlighted enough. Also, some scenes were unnecessarily dragged which felt annoying. Similarly some shots seemed to be prolonged for no good reason. There were some major edit mistakes which surely can not be neglected when you’re working on this scale. However the outdoor shots were not only brilliantly captured but presented really nicely as well.
Now the question is, will Pari prove to be the break through that Pakistani industry needed to produce world-class horror art work? Or will it be shadowed by the clichéd rom-com flicks and Bollywood masala? The deciding factor is nothing but the response of public.
