Director Abu Aleeha seems to be on a roll giving us one film after another. Just recently the teaser of his action-comedy “Once A Upon A Time In Karachi“, staring Mohsin Abbas Haider and Nausheen Shah was revealed. Without much delay, the director is back yet again, as shooting of his upcoming film “Lockdown” has begun. The film is intended for release on a digital platform (Netflix/Amazon) which would be a first for a major Pakistani film. Pakistani Cinema is bringing you the official scoop with all the exclusive details about the film.
Sources close to Pakistani Cinema have revealed that none other than Gohar Rasheed and Faryal Mehmood have been roped in as leads for the project. Now that feels like a fresh new pairing to look forward to.
As the title suggests the movie is an emotional love story based on the background of the current COVID pandemic. This is undoubtedly the first of many more projects to be based on the pandemic. It is also pertinent to add here that Abu Aleeha rather than sticking to one genre has experimented with four different genres in his first four films. As his first film “Kataksha” was psychological horror, “Tevar” a revenge thriller, “OUTK” action-comedy and now his current offering “Lockdown” is a love story.
The movie is produced under the banner of “Mont Blanc Entertainment” with Taimoor Tariq onboard as executive producer. The film is written by seasoned writer Abida Ahmed who has won accolades for her soaps like “Sanwari” on Hum TV. This will be Abida’s first film outing.
Furthermore “Lockdown” will also be Pakistan’s first movie to be shot on Arri Alexa LF camera. With Asad Mumtaz Malik onboard as DOP who has previously done cinematography for Hollywood film “Windows” and also shot Abu Aleeha’s “Once Upon A Time In Karachi” recently. According to our sources, the movie is being shot following strict SOP’s considering the impact of COVID-19. It will be shot in a single spell and will be wrapped up in one month.
Considering the prevailing pandemic, making the movie for a Digital platform is a welcome move. Pakistan needs to adopt the digital platform quickly so we’re not left in the dust as other countries capitalize on their widespread appeal. We wish the team of “Lockdown” the best of luck.
