I was mainly excited for “Aag Lagay Basti Mein” because of Tabish Hashmi’s film debut. It’s been a while since a new comedian has made it to the movies; especially one who has achieved national fame. The good news is that he’s GREAT in the movie. He, along with several supporting characters, turn this one into a firecracker.
Supporting Characters Provide the Fire in “Aag Lagay Basti Mein”
Tabish Hashmi is without a doubt, the best thing in “Aag Lagay Basti Mein”. Whenever he’s on screen, the film is at its most absurd and entertaining. Playing the role of a gangster’s son, “Changaiz”, he’s looking to make a name for himself as a fearsome don. However, his inexperience and insecurity keep getting the better of him. Hashmi plays his part perfectly. There’s not a single wasted gesture.
Javed Sheikh plays the part of his father, “Marble Seth” who is going through his own character arc. He’s the dependable staple of Pakistani cinema that we’ve come to expect. This role gives him a little more to chew on and he plays it well. However, he doesn’t have much screen time with Tabish Hashmi. A few scenes with the veteran and the rising star doing a bit of comic sparring would’ve made the film all the more entertaining.
Also providing some great laughs the two henchmen named “Aashiq”(played by Ali Abdullah) and “Maashooq”, their chemistry provides some very darkly comical moments in the film. They play the roles of the incompetent but well meaning henchmen to perfection. However, again, their scenes are limited.
Finally, there’s a child artist who plays a poor child working as a living statue, standing in the sweltering heat outside, painted gold. In his limited appearance in the film, he stands shoulder to shoulder with Fahad Mustafa and delivers the most memorable dialogue in the film:
“Keechar mein se bhi nikaalna hai aur haath bhi ganday nahin karnay?”(You want to pull me out of the mud, but aren’t willing to get your hands dirty?)
There lies the problem. Fahad Mustafa and Mahira Khan are not nearly as entertaining as what is happening around them. Their struggle to reach “Doobai” and leave their poverty behind is extremely relatable, but also a cliche. It’s not that they don’t provide laughs. On the contrary, one of their scenes left the entire audience in stitches, and it’s because it went fully absurd; no holds barred.
However, so much of their screen time is wasted on tropes and redundant themes that it sours the movie experience. Their performances, though perfectly adequate (Mahira Khan is fantastic for playing so completely against type), can’t do the heavy lifting when the script is left wanting.
“Aag Lagay Basti Mein” Is Far Too Long
When the teaser for “Aag Lagay Basti Mein” was released, it rightly got a lot of great reactions. It was marketed as a fast-paced, funny, even bloody crime caper that would entertain audiences on Eid. The trailer reinforced that message, and set the film up to be one of the biggest money spinners of the year.
However, compared to the trailers, the film is a slog to get through. It doesn’t feature enough fun, action, or blood to justify its nearly 2 and a half hour runtime, and it’s filled with a lot of tiresome cliches that should be buried in the last decade.
This is not a gripe I have just with this film, it’s with the Pakistani film industry in general. Why are all films still 2-2.5 hours long? Why can’t editors and directors shave their films down to 90 minutes? At the very least it makes economic sense. Shorter films mean more film shows in a theater every day and a higher chance to get more audiences into seats. “Aag Lagay Basti Mein” could’ve immensely benefited from a shorter runtime.
At 140 minutes long without the ads and intermissions, the film takes nearly half its runtime to set up the main plot! It doesn’t get going until Javed Sheikh’s character shows up, and that’s about 10 minutes before the intermission. That’s an almost 50% reduction in the “Masti” quotient. The entire first half could’ve been shortened to 15 minutes and it wouldn’t make a difference.
Dil Bechara Strikes a Chord
I have to mention “Dil Bechara” by Aur Band. It is an undeniable bright spot in the film. Raffey Anwar, Ahad Khan and Usama Ali have created a song reminiscent of the old romantic numbers in the 1960s and 70s and it beautifully bookends the blossoming romance between Mahira Khan’s “Almaas” and Fahad Mustafa’s “Barkat”. I can see myself replaying it for a week or two.
Wasting Time Moralizing and the Tired Romantic Subplot
Nearly all Pakistani commercial films waste time with a tired romantic subplot where the hero and heroine grow closer to each other. “Aag Lagay Basti Mein” is lucky that “Dil Bechara” makes a pleasant experience out of it, but it’s still a tired trope that lasts far too long. That coupled with the incessant moralizing in the film about how wrong it is to steal, wastes time that could’ve been spent having fun.
The Pakistani audience has been exposed to international Cinema and TV with the proliferation of streaming services. They don’t need to be bludgeoned over the head with obvious messages and lectures. Pakistani directors need to get to the point, and to the fun, faster.
This isn’t a criticism of taking the time to develop characters; develop away. However, repetition, long pauses, and creating a ruckus on screen just to stall for time should all be thrown into the screenwriting dustbin, never to be seen again.
Detailing Is Peak, Indulgence Is Mid
“Aag Lagay Basti Mein” is at its best, when it’s at its most absurd. Pakistani humour, and specifically Pakistani film humour has always worked best when it’s absurd.
If you watch old comedies like “Naukar Wohti Da”, “Rangeela”, “Rangeela Aur Munawwar Zareef”, “Baat Pauhnchi Teri Jawaani Tak”, “Saiyyaan Anari”, “Mr. 420”, “Mr. Charlie”, etc. they always had far more absurdist, and in some cases even surrealist elements to them that worked in their favour. Quirky details in the background, throwaway jokes with multiple meanings, completely bonkers plot elements, etc.
This works best when the silliness is barely acknowledged, and the audience is left to chuckle and take it all in. “Aag Lagay Basti Mein” has a few of those moments, but it needed far more. The film also has a refreshing lack of static shots that make too many Pakistani features look like TV serials. In certain scenes, the camera was moving about so much that I caught myself being grateful.
However, there are too many moments of indulgence and over exposure. Slow motion shots linger on scenes that are heading to obvious conclusions. To the screenwriting dustbin with these too!
Fire and Fun With Room For More
“Aag Lagay Basti Mein” fulfills the Eid film criteria and then some, providing plenty of laughs and thrills. Tabish Hashmi and the supporting cast as well as the two main leads give their all to a well meaning, flawed script about errors and follies and chaos.
However, with a little tweaking, the film could’ve been the perfect entertainer. A tighter script, fewer cliches and tropes, and a crisper edit could do wonders. Perhaps Bilal Atif Khan could release a proverbial “Director’s Cut” of the film down the line.
Bilal Atif Khan is clearly a very capable director and I hope to see a lot more of his work in the near future. Fahad Mustafa has clearly picked the right man to direct his first production. As a first timer, he has made a much better product than most of his fellow directors. I can only hope that his best is yet to come.
As for Tabish Hashmi, directors should be lining up to cast him in every movie. The man’s affable nature and charisma has won him a national audience and that should be celebrated and put to good use entertaining film audiences.
“Aag Lagay Basti Mein” is in theaters now.
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