In a struggling industry like that of Pakistan, an issue which always confronts filmmakers, specially the aspiring ones, is finding a sponsor to produce a film. Many great ideas on paper thus end up lurking beneath the surface and go un materialized. But then there are filmmakers who haven’t let these financial hurdles put an end to their dreams. And a flag bearer in this regard for past few years has been director Abu Aleeha. The ‘’Kataksha’’ director has proven time and again that making a film isn’t always about big bucks and famous names in cast. Churning out one low-budget film after another and managing to do reasonably well at the box office, Abu Aleeha has paved way for aspiring young filmmakers. His latest film ‘’Sheenogai ‘’ set to hit cinema screens this 26th November further solidifies his case. Here’s how
Lowest budget film already in profit:
‘’Sheenogai’’, inspired by the social media debate following hot button motorway incident, might very well be one of the lowest budget films ever made. With a minimal budget of 1.6 million Rupees, the film’s rights have already been sold for 3.5 million Rupees as per Abu Aleeha. Which means the film is already in profits irrespective of its box office numbers.
A learner for aspiring indie filmmakers:
The film is a great takeaway for indie filmmakers who aspire to tell their stories on big screen but are held back by financial constraints. Talking about this to PakistaniCinema.net, Abu Aleeha says ‘’It is a general mindset that to make a film you always need to have at least 4-5crores budget. I have done big films like ‘’Untold Story of Serial Killer Javed Iqbal’’ and ‘’Lockdown’’ previously but the main aim of making this movie was to negate this belief that a big production house, extraordinary actors and camera are a necessity for showcasing your stories.
Garden fresh cast:
The cast of the film doesn’t include any known face. “All the actors in my film are garden fresh”, says Aleeha, “The lead Marina Syed is a stunt biker and the other 4 actors too belong to different walks of life. It was a first acting experience for all of them. A month-long acting workshop was given to them before going on the floor.”
In a struggling industry which only manages to produce 20-30 movies a year, those too largely lined up for Eid release, making low-budget films like ‘’Sheenogai’’ is imperative to avoid the periods of a lull at cinema houses. All these factors make ‘’Sheenogai’’ an inspiration for young struggling filmmakers attempting to foot in the industry.
The film was rendered inappropriate for public display by Islamabad Censor Board however with cuts of around ten minutes it is approved to release across Sindh and Punjab by the local Censor Boards. Don’t miss out the movie at cinemas near you this 26th November 2021.
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