BOL was the most awaited MOVIE OF THE YEAR. There were many reasons for having expectations from it. Firstly it was second movie by Shoaib Mansoor after “Khuda Kay Liya” which appealed both masses and classes simultaneously. Second reason was Atif Aslam !(Though one discovers after watching the movie that this movie is not about him at all!)
There is no doubt about the level of entertainment it offers. Subject, Story, music , performances and overall presentation all gel well with each other. The movie discusses how hypocratic and shallow our value systems are and how do “V” use religion only when it suits us!!!In order to present the true picture of the society ,Director Shoiab Mansoor has freely used and censor board approved use of abusive language, names of the sects, some humor about religious beliefs and practices.
All of this could have been easier to swallow had the movie been classified for mature audiences only. It becomes a very uncomfortable situation to handle when children and elders both are around and you are listening raw and blunt local expressions related to prostitutes and family extension.
My estimate is that the budget of the movie would be around 15 million Rs. It has been released in 23 cinemas nationwide and the kind of opening it has received by the audiences, it should be able to recover its investment within one week. It would send very welcoming signals to new film makers who want to make films but are reluctant due to social and film industry conditions. This movie is also expected to be released in India by Eros International so lot of revenue can be expected for the makers of this move who made a very non commercial movie(which occasionally sounded like sponsored from NGOs and Family planning commission of Pakistan!).
After observing how Indians and Iranis have used cinema for their national interest, I feel “V” all were wrong to laugh at and ignore local cinema. Film makers like Shoaib Mansoor have actually showed us that when there is a will than there is a way so inspite of all the social unrest and slump at Lollywood, A movie(without any skin exposure) has actually pulled the crowd back to cinemas.
