It may sound like a bad joke, so apologies beforehand, but just how many times should a visually impaired girl visit an eye doctor, especially when she lost her eyesight when she was young and has no other eye-related issues? Answer: until she befriends the alleged ‘pervert’ poet.
If it were a joke, no one laughed in the sparsely attended show at Nueplex Askari (24 others with me in a hall of 224). Also, the ‘pervert’ isn’t really one, and the blind girl isn’t really stricken. Like the many questions Neelofar flings our way — and their answers — none satisfy the intellect. Every narrative feels trivial and devoid of gravitas.
Written and directed by feature debutante Ammar Rasool, the film is a product that leans heavily on personal preferences and not the audience’s. It poses as a love letter to Urdu, heritage, nostalgia and soft romance. One might have been fooled, too, if it weren’t for the muddled story.
Actually, I’d be happy if there had been a story. Or a conflict. Or even a credible romance.
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