''Aksbandh'' (previously ''Paranormal Karachi Nights'') is a supernatural found footage

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

released in 2016, the first film of its kind from Pakistan. It was produced, written, and directed by Emran Hussain and co-written by

Ayaz Samoo Ayaz Samoo is a Pakistani actor, model, host, VJ and writer. In 2016, he won the AFA for Best Actor in a negative role for the film '' Moor''. He is referred as "The Shape-Shifter" because he switches voices, accents, looks and expressions as he ...

. ''Aksbandh'' was produced under the production banner of Cinematic Media and Big Idea Entertainment. The film features an assembled cast that includes

, Saud Imtiaz, Danial Afzal, Bilal Yousufzai, Shehzeen Rahat, Mahrukh Rizvi, and Arshad Ali. The film was distributed by

Hum Films Hum or HUM may refer to: Science * Hum (sound), a sound produced with closed lips, or by insects, or other periodic motion * Mains hum, an electric or electromagnetic phenomenon * The Hum, an acoustic phenomenon * Venous hum, a physiological sen ...

on 20 May 2016 in cinemas nationwide.

Plot

The plot of movie resolves around six friends who set out on a fun adventure trip to Drigh Lake in

Larkana Larkana (; ) is a city located in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the 15th largest city of Pakistan by population. It is home to the Indus Valley civilization site Mohenjo-daro. The historic Indus River flows in east and south of the ci ...

, to make a small budget horror film. However, when the trip takes a nasty turn, the six friends find themselves mixed up in

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...

activities.

Cast

as Sunny * Danial Afzal Khan as Ayaan * Saud Imtiaz as Shehzad * Shehzeen Rahat as Sadia * Bilal Yousufzai as Raheel * Mahrukh Rizvi as Aaliya * Arshad Ali as Chacha

Production

''Aksbandh'' was completely shot and produced in Pakistan, except for sound recording and mixing, which was done in India.

Marketing and release

teaser trailer A teaser trailer, also shortened to teaser, is a short trailer (promotion), trailer and a form of teaser campaign advertising that focuses on film and television programming. It is a videography pre-release film or television show advertisement. Sh ...

for ''Aksbandh'' was revealed on 15 November 2015. The theatrical trailer and final poster for the film was released on 23 April 2016. The film was released across Pakistani cinemas on 20 May 2016.

Reception

A review in ''Dawn'' found that "This experiment by ad-makers-turned-producers Naveed Arshad and Seemeen Naveed will no doubt help the film industry along in a big way; irrespective of box office results. Times are now a changing and if we can have more projects like Aksbandh, the future is definitely bright for independent Pakistani films." Another review called the film "a spooky treat". ''

The News International ''The News International'', published in broadsheet size, is one of the largest English language newspapers in Pakistan. It is published daily from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/ Islamabad. An overseas edition is published from London th ...

'' found the film "surprisingly good".

References

External links

* * {{facebook, aksbandh 2016 films 2010s Urdu-language films Pakistani horror films Found footage films 2016 horror films Pakistani mystery films Pakistani supernatural films Urdu-language Pakistani films