Biopic of a Forgotten Hero
It’s the movie Pakistani sports fans have been waiting for. In fact, it’s the movie that none of us expected to be made – at least not so early into the second life of Pakistani cinema. Based on the life of Pakistani boxer Hussain Shah, Shah has been written and directed by Adnan Sarwar, who also plays the lead role. And he chose a fitting date for its release, too: August 14, Pakistan’s Independence Day, and also the lead character’s birth date. The date was shifted to the 13th only at the last moment in order to extend the opening weekend for the film.
Born in the year 1964, Hussain Shah grew up on the streets of Lyari, the infamous neighbourhood of Karachi. He lost his mother while he was still young, leaving him to sleep on the footpath with little to eat. At the age of 6 or 7 he decided to learn to box – a decision that changed his life forever.
But it wasn’t without hard work and disappointment. The frail boy from Lyari had neither the physique nor the strength to box. The only thing that led to his success – to him becoming the first South Asian boxer to win a medal at the Olympics – was his steely determination and strong willpower.
It was in Seoul in 1988 when Shah’s years of hard work paid off in an instant. Although the medal he won was bronze, in the Middleweight division, yet it was his – and Pakistan’s – highest achievement in boxing till date.
The remarkable thing about Adnan Sarwar’s Shah is that it doesn’t stop there; it doesn’t abandon the audience midway through the story, even if it is on the high point – it tells it complete. Shah isn’t just a rags to riches story, it’s a rags to riches and back to rags story that was lived by Hussain Shah in the late-eighties and early-nineties. A biopic in the truest sense.
Performances
As is the case with most biopics, they are as good as the performance put in by the lead actors. Since they are based on reality and do not have the leverage to create a story that fictional stories do, biopics can fall flat should their actors not put in good performances. Luckily for Shah, that was not the case.
Adnan Sarwar deserves a round of applause if not a standing ovation for his act in Shah. Since he was playing a boxer, there was less talk and more action – but that does not mean that he could not deliver his dialogues well. However, the best part of his performance certainly appeared inside the ring – and why wouldn’t it?
In order to prepare for his role in Shah, Sarwar trained under Hussain Shah himself for six months (that explains his shredded physique and agility). He reportedly also went on a diet and went through a tough training routine in order to play and look the role of a boxer. And he did a commendable job of it, to say the least.
A Labour of Love
Adnan Sarwar’s involvement in all the key departments of the film – he even did the movie’s soundtrack – tells us that Shah is very close to his heart. An ex-racer and musician, Sarwar himself feels very passionately about the film, as was evident from his teary reaction at the end of the film’s premiere in Karachi. Perhaps it is this passion and love that makes Shah a beautiful film: it isn’t just there to make money or to prove a cinematic point, it is there because someone desperately wanted to tell us this story.
Direction and Cinematography
Shah has the look and feel of a typical sports drama film – think Raging Bull, Million Dollar Baby or Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Mary Qom from across the border. It has been directed and scripted out fairly well, and the cinematography is up to the modern standards. However, we are still a short distance away from producing a flawless film that has no directorial or screenplay glitches at all. Shah, on this front, could have been made slightly better.
Why Watch It: Sports and Biopic Lovers’ Dream
The movie is most certainly for sports lovers. Whether or not you like boxing, if you like to watch sports dramas of the most serious kind, Shah is definitely well worth your time and money.
Why Not: No Mainstream Entertainment
Following the standard international cinematic format and deviating from the traditional South Asian one, Shah has no songs or dances to provide people with quick entertainment. For those who are looking forward to watching a few item songs and listening to a few catchy tunes, there are plenty of other options on display on screens across the country – but Shah is not for them.
It’s the movie Pakistani sports fans have been waiting for. In fact, it’s the movie that none of us expected to be made – at least not so early into the second life of Pakistani cinema. Based on the life of Pakistani boxer Hussain Shah, Shah has been written and directed by Adnan Sarwar, who also plays the lead role. And he chose a fitting date for its release, too: August 14, Pakistan’s Independence Day, and also the lead character’s birth date. The date was shifted to the 13th only at the last moment in order to extend the opening weekend for the film.
Born in the year 1964, Hussain Shah grew up on the streets of Lyari, the infamous neighbourhood of Karachi. He lost his mother while he was still young, leaving him to sleep on the footpath with little to eat. At the age of 6 or 7 he decided to learn to box – a decision that changed his life forever.
But it wasn’t without hard work and disappointment. The frail boy from Lyari had neither the physique nor the strength to box. The only thing that led to his success – to him becoming the first South Asian boxer to win a medal at the Olympics – was his steely determination and strong willpower.
It was in Seoul in 1988 when Shah’s years of hard work paid off in an instant. Although the medal he won was bronze, in the Middleweight division, yet it was his – and Pakistan’s – highest achievement in boxing till date.
The remarkable thing about Adnan Sarwar’s Shah is that it doesn’t stop there; it doesn’t abandon the audience midway through the story, even if it is on the high point – it tells it complete. Shah isn’t just a rags to riches story, it’s a rags to riches and back to rags story that was lived by Hussain Shah in the late-eighties and early-nineties. A biopic in the truest sense.
Sarwar trained under Hussain Shah for six months to prepare for his role
Performances
As is the case with most biopics, they are as good as the performance put in by the lead actors. Since they are based on reality and do not have the leverage to create a story that fictional stories do, biopics can fall flat should their actors not put in good performances. Luckily for Shah, that was not the case.
Adnan Sarwar deserves a round of applause if not a standing ovation for his act in Shah. Since he was playing a boxer, there was less talk and more action – but that does not mean that he could not deliver his dialogues well. However, the best part of his performance certainly appeared inside the ring – and why wouldn’t it?
In order to prepare for his role in Shah, Sarwar trained under Hussain Shah himself for six months (that explains his shredded physique and agility). He reportedly also went on a diet and went through a tough training routine in order to play and look the role of a boxer. And he did a commendable job of it, to say the least.
A Labour of Love
Adnan Sarwar’s involvement in all the key departments of the film – he even did the movie’s soundtrack – tells us that Shah is very close to his heart. An ex-racer and musician, Sarwar himself feels very passionately about the film, as was evident from his teary reaction at the end of the film’s premiere in Karachi. Perhaps it is this passion and love that makes Shah a beautiful film: it isn’t just there to make money or to prove a cinematic point, it is there because someone desperately wanted to tell us this story.
Direction and Cinematography
Shah has the look and feel of a typical sports drama film – think Raging Bull, Million Dollar Baby or Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Mary Qom from across the border. It has been directed and scripted out fairly well, and the cinematography is up to the modern standards. However, we are still a short distance away from producing a flawless film that has no directorial or screenplay glitches at all. Shah, on this front, could have been made slightly better.
Why Watch It: Sports and Biopic Lovers’ Dream
The movie is most certainly for sports lovers. Whether or not you like boxing, if you like to watch sports dramas of the most serious kind, Shah is definitely well worth your time and money.
Why Not: No Mainstream Entertainment
Following the standard international cinematic format and deviating from the traditional South Asian one, Shah has no songs or dances to provide people with quick entertainment. For those who are looking forward to watching a few item songs and listening to a few catchy tunes, there are plenty of other options on display on screens across the country – but Shah is not for them.