Movie Review: Janaan

The wait is finally over. Janaan has released in Cinemas. The premiere was held on Saturday – 10th September, 2016 at Nueplex Cinema, Karachi. 

Janaan(meaning Beloved) starring Bilal Ashraf, Ali Rehman and Armeena Khan in lead roles whereas other cast in supporting roles includes Mishi Khan, Nayyar Ejaz, Ajab Gul, Fahad Ali Panni, Usman Mukhtar, Jalal Khan and Haania Amir. The movie is written by Osman Khalid Butt and directed by Azfar Jafri. Janaan is a collaboration between Imran Raza Kazmi, Munir Hussain, Hareem Farooq and Reham Khan under the banners of IRK Films and Munir Hussain Films – UK. The music is composed by Salim-Suleiman while the lyrics are penned by Fatima Najib and Ghani Khan(poetry).

The plot is nothing new but a Rom-Com love triangle between a girl named Meena(Armeena Khan), a Canadian National (who returns to her ancestral home (Swat) after 11 years to attend a wedding ceremony of her cousin) and her two cousins Asfandyar (Bilal Ashraf) and Danyal (Ali Rahman) whom she had spent her childhood with.

As for the performances, Bilal Ashraf is depicted as a reclusive and shy person and he acted well as per the demand of the character but lacked in angry scenes while Ali Rahman went a step ahead and performed comfortably. Armeena Khan was monotonous. AjabGul's performance was good but his voice seemed different than his original impactful sound. Nayyar Ejaz in negative role stood out and every single dialogue is brilliantly performed. Mishi Khan despite an experienced actor did not perform at par. Usman Mukhtar and the new comer Haania Aamir excel in their roles. The co-producer Hareem Farooq appeared for only a couple of seconds during a song for no reason.

The storyline is vague and bit confusing whether it was an attempt to show the softer side of Pakistan or Pashtoon Culture, a romantic comedy love trio or to address the sensitive topic of child molestation. Furthermore, the character building was missing throughout the movie. Who is who? It will take audience half of the movie to understand the relationships of characters.

Although the story line and soundtracks are average but the producers should be appreciated for making an effort to show the softer side of KP and to change the perception of Swat which is perceived as a war-torn region. Also, they have experimented by casting fresh faces for big screen and come up with new talent.