''Good Morning Karachi'' (formerly ''Rafina'') is a 2013

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Sabiha Sumar Sabiha Sumar (born 29 September 1961) is a Pakistanis, Pakistani filmmaker and producer. She is best known for her independent documentary films. Her first feature-length film was ''Khamosh Pani (Silent Waters)'', released in 2003. She is known ...

and produced by Sachithanandam Sathananthan under the banner ''Vidhi Films''. The film is written by

Malia Scotch Marmo Malia Scotch Marmo (born May 4, 1955) is an American screenwriter and teacher, best known for writing Lasse Hallstrom's ''Once Around'' and Steven Spielberg's ''Hook.'' Scotch Marmo also collaborated with novelist Soman Chainani in adapting ''T ...

, Sumar and Samhita Arni, based on the novel ''Rafina'' by the acclaimed Pakistani writer

Shandana Minhas Shandana Minhas (born 26 October 1975, in Karachi, Pakistan) is a Pakistani writer. Personal life Shandana Minhas is a Pakistani writer from Karachi who now lives in London. Writing Minhas is an Honorary Fellow in Writing of the Internationa ...

Synopsis

It is the story of a young girl, Rafina, (

Amna Ilyas Amna Ilyas () is a Pakistani film and television actress, and model. She is the younger sister of models Salma Ilyas and Uzma Ilyas. Amna began her modeling career at the age of twenty, and a few years later, she moved on to acting in 2013. She ...

) who chases her dream to become a renowned model.

Cast

as Rafina *Beo Zafar as Rosie *

Saba Hameed Saba Hameed () is a Pakistani actress and director. She is one of the most popular actresses of Pakistan. She was one of the most successful actress of 1980s and 1990s. She got early recognition with her role of Sumbul in sitcom '' Family Fro ...

as Rafina's mother * Atta Yaqub as Jamal *

Aamina Sheikh Aamina Sheikh () is an American-Pakistani actress, songwriter and former fashion model. Sheikh has received critical appreciation for her acting prowess, and has won four Lux Style Awards from nine nominations. Born in New York City and raised ...

as Mehwish (card girl) *

Savera Nadeem Savera Nadeem () is a Pakistani actress, producer, and director. Primarily known for her work on television, she also acted in theatre and films. Nadeem received a Lux Style Award for Best Television Actress and five nominations. Known for he ...

as PJ * Yasir Aqueel as Arid * Faiza Syed as Nausheen * Khalid Malik as Murad * Shaheen Khan as Nawal *

Farhan Ali Agha Farhan Ally Agha (; also spelled Farhan Ali Agha) is a Pakistani politician, film actor, film, television actor, television and voice actor who appears in Urdu television serials and films. He has dubbed the voice of Commander Safeguard in an an ...

as Fahad * Faisal Qureshi * Abdullah Akram (Qatar)

Release

An early version of ''Good Morning Karachi'' was presented in 2013 in India at the 15th

Mumbai Film Festival The Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) is a public trust that organises the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival in the city of Mumbai, India. Priyanka Chopra, Priyanka Chopra Jonas is the chairperson of the trust while Shivendra Singh Dungarpur serves ...

, in Sweden at the Goteborg International Film Festival, and in the United States at the 3rd i South Asian Film Festival in San Francisco and the South Asian International Film Festival in New York. On 14 June 2014, the completed film screened at the

London Asian Film Festival The UK Asian Film Festival, previously known as the London Asian Film Festival, is a British film festival organised by the not-for-profit organisation Tongues on Fire Ltd. and takes place annually in the spring in London. The festival is the long ...

. ''Good Morning Karachi'' had its

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

premiere on 28 December 2014 where Saba Hameed, Savera Nadeem, Amina Sheikh and Yasir Aqil along with other showbiz stars attended the premiere. The film was released in cinemas across Pakistan by A-Plus Films on 1 January 2015. Good Morning Karachi was released on video in the North America and most European territories on 12 January 2015.

Critical reception

Jennie Kermode of Eye for Film gave ''Good Morning Karachi'' 3 1/2 of 5 stars, saying "the story benefits from a fairly nuanced script, with even the traditionalist fiance allowed to be sympathetic on occasion." Dr. Joy Browne gave the film the same rating on her weekly radio show. The ''

Daily Times ''Daily Times'' may refer to the following national newspapers: * ''Daily Times'' (Nigeria), newspaper published in Nigeria * ''Daily Times'' (Pakistan), newspaper published in Pakistan ''The Daily Times'' may refer to the following newspapers: * ...

'' wrote, "The film looks at the culture of violence in Pakistan and how youth are most affected by this environment. It shows how new industries, such as media and fashion, have democratised spaces in urban Pakistan. It has provided new opportunities for young people and given hope to the next generation. This can pave the way for a new, modern and tolerant society. Young women like Rafina are the embodiment of this hope for the future." Hale Syed of DAWN.com rated the film 3 out of 5 and wrote "The Cinderella story is not new, but has had more distinctive retellings. More fleshed out characters and better pacing could have kept the movie from feeling predictable and obvious." Shafiq ul Hasan of ''

The Express Tribune ''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the '' Lakson Group'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliated newspaper in a partnership with the '' Intern ...

'' rated the film 2.5/5 and wrote "Good Morning Karachi, for Pakistani cinema, is amongst the few unconventional, path-breaking movies. The reason is very simple; Good Morning Karachi is a female-oriented film with a female protagonist. Unfortunately, except for this bit, there is little else that is extraordinary about this film."

References

External links