The holiday box office clash this Eid ul Azha promised a diverse cinematic feast, pitting the Farhan Saeed starrer romantic action-drama ‘Luv Di Saun’ against ‘Psycho’ and ‘Zombeid’. Judging by its slick trailer, the project looked poised to deliver the perfect festive cocktail of explosive action, high drama, and sweeping romance. Does ‘Luv Di Saun’ actually live up to its hype? Let’s review.
What ‘Luv Di Saun’ Is All About?
‘Luv Di Saun’ follows Zeeshan (Farhan Saeed), a 30 years old man whose life completely unravels when his family business collapses, wiping out their wealth and property overnight. Making matters worse, tragedy strikes again when his parents are killed in a car crash in Thailand. Left with nothing, Zeeshan moves into his grandfather’s modest home in old Lahore. There, he crosses paths with Billo (Mamya Shajaffar), a courtesan forced into the trade by the film’s antagonist (Tabrez Khan). As Zeeshan falls for Billo and uncovers the harsh reality of her life, the story pivots into a rescue mission. Can he pull her out of this corrupt system? That is the question that drives the rest of the film.
The Story Is The Big Culprit
Well, there actually isn’t one. It feels as though Imran Malik’s first draft went straight on floors without a single correction by writer Wajid Zuberi. The writing is simply juvenile, outdated, and unfit for the big screen. There is no real plot, no coherent narrative, and no climax. What were they actually thinking? In fact, this project should have been halted in order to fix the massive, glaring loopholes.
Clocking in at a bloated 150 minutes, the film moves at a snail’s pace with a random, confusing storyline that ultimately fails to hold the audience’s interest. The dialogues are deeply melodramatic and desperately needed better wording. Furthermore, the film’s message on Hindu-Muslim harmony becomes far too preachy and repetitive at a certain point. It isn’t just the leads who suffer; the supporting characters are completely shortchanged as well. Ultimately the film is entirely devoid of drama, tension, romance, and humor.
Imran Malik’s Direction Is a Major Misfire
Imran Malik’s direction is flawed and highly disappointing. While he was quite in control during his previous film ‘Azaadi’ (2018), he misses the bulls-eye by a wide margin with ‘Luv Di Saun’. The biggest issue is that from the word go, the narrative developments are completely unconvincing. For instance, the opening scene where Zeeshan is chasing rats serves absolutely no purpose. There is no real character arc to speak of; he is a well-educated man in his 30s, yet all he does is lounge around that old house doing nothing. Furthermore, he is portrayed as so ignorant that he doesn’t even question why Billo returns home at 3:00 AM wearing revealing clothes. The audience barely sympathizes with his personal tragedy, his chemistry-free romance with Billo, or his equation with Sureet (Mehrunnisa Iqbal).
Additionally, the forced comedic subplot involving Happy Singh (Rana Ijaz) and his love interest completely falls flat. The film deteriorates even further during the climax; the sudden entry of Babar Ali to reveal crucial details about Billo’s identity feels highly unrealistic. Adding to the frustration, a forced cameo of Humayun Saeed during the finale takes over the proceedings, leaving the hero with absolutely nothing to do. The resolution is far too convenient, and by ending on an open note ‘to be continued’, the film leaves a massive number of questions unanswered. The music is lackluster, with not a single track leaving a memorable impression. Also the excessive and unnecessary use of AI makes the film look artificial.
The Performance Breakdown
Farhan Saeed tries his best to deliver a decent performance, but the end result ultimately fails to impress. Meanwhile, Mamya Shajaffar suffers a disastrous debut; she desperately needs acting classes. Her voice modulation and accent are completely all over the place. To make matters worse, her styling and wardrobe are plain ordinary. In fact, Mehrunnisa Iqbal not only acts well but also looks absolutely stunning, easily outshining Mamya on screen. Rana Ijaz is strictly okay, failing to tickle our funny bones largely due to the pale script. Lastly, Tabrez Khan delivers a remarkably poor performance as the antagonist.
Final Verdict
‘Luv Di Saun’ is a bizarre, poorly crafted film that offers absolutely nothing of substance to its audience. It is an absolute washout in both content and execution, resulting in a complete waste of time and money. To make matters worse, the blatant threat of a ‘to be continued’ sequel is a form of cinematic torture that no one should have to endure again.
