biographical
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curric ...
romantic drama
Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...
film directed by Anjum Shahzad, produced by Khurram Rana, Sahir Rasheed, Badar Ikram and written by
Sarmad Sehbai
Sarmad Sehbai (), born 1945, UrduPoint website, Retrieved 21 October 2021 is a . The film is based on the life of the famous poet
Mir Taqi Mir
Mir Muhammad Taqi (February 1723 – 20 September 1810), known as Mir Taqi Mir (also spelled Meer Taqi Meer), was an Urdu poetry, Urdu poet of the 18th century Mughal Empire, Mughal India and one of the pioneers who gave shape to the Urdu ...
, played by
Fahad Mustafa
Fahad Salahuddin ( Sindhi: فھد مصطفي; born 26 June 1983), known professionally as Fahad Mustafa, is a Pakistani actor, producer, and television host who works in Urdu films and television. He is regarded as one of the highest-paid acto ...
. The film also stars
Iman Ali
Iman Ali (; born 19 December 1980) is a Pakistani actress and model who is best known for her work in Urdu films. Ali made her film debut with a leading role in the 2007 thriller '' Khuda Kay Liye'', for which she won a Lux Style Award for Bes ...
,
Sanam Saeed
Sanam Saeed is a Pakistani actress, singer and former model who predominantly works in Urdu cinema and television. She is best known for portraying the role of Kashaf Murtaza in Momina Duraid's ''Zindagi Gulzar Hai'', for which she received nu ...
,
Alyy Khan
Alyy Khan (born 6 December 1968) is a British-Pakistani actor and host who has worked in Hollywood, Bollywood, and Lollywood films and television series. He is known for his roles in the films '' A Mighty Heart'' (2007), ''Traitor'' (2008), ...
and
Manzar Sehbai
Manzar Sehbai (born 19 March 1950) is a Pakistani actor who appears in Lollywood films and serials. He has worked in different drama serials and made his film debut in 2011 with Shoaib Mansoor's '' Bol'' for which he won Lux Style Awards and SA ...
Pakistani Academy Selection Committee
The Pakistani Academy Selection Committee (PASC) is a non-governmental selection committee of Pakistani film director, producers, writers, actors, distributors and exhibitors, headquartered in Karachi and Lahore. The PASC selects the Pakistan's ...
89th Academy Awards
The 89th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best 2016 in film, films of 2016, and took place on February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Californ ...
but it was not nominated.
Mah-e-Mir is a story that follows the struggle of a contemporary poet and draws parallels with the events in Mir's life. The film was co-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 ...
and Eveready Pictures on 6 May 2016 nationwide.
Plot
The film's story focuses on the life of a modern-day poet named Jamal (
Fahad Mustafa
Fahad Salahuddin ( Sindhi: فھد مصطفي; born 26 June 1983), known professionally as Fahad Mustafa, is a Pakistani actor, producer, and television host who works in Urdu films and television. He is regarded as one of the highest-paid acto ...
) going through a rough patch. The movie tries to draw parallels between Jamal's and
Mir Taqi Mir
Mir Muhammad Taqi (February 1723 – 20 September 1810), known as Mir Taqi Mir (also spelled Meer Taqi Meer), was an Urdu poetry, Urdu poet of the 18th century Mughal Empire, Mughal India and one of the pioneers who gave shape to the Urdu ...
's life with the story jumping from present day to Jamal's mind as he imagines himself to be Mir Taqi Mir in Lucknow focusing on the trials and tribulations that Mir once experienced (adapted from Mir's biography). His conflict with the royal court, his romance with a
tawaif
A ''tawaif'' () was a highly successful courtesan singer‚ dancer‚ and poet who catered to the nobility of the Indian subcontinent, particularly during the Mughal era. Many tawaifs (" nautch girls" to the British) were forced to go into pro ...
, his ideals of bringing Urdu poetry to the people in the streets and his eventual madness in full moon; all reflected in his poetry.
Cast
The film cast includes:
*
Fahad Mustafa
Fahad Salahuddin ( Sindhi: فھد مصطفي; born 26 June 1983), known professionally as Fahad Mustafa, is a Pakistani actor, producer, and television host who works in Urdu films and television. He is regarded as one of the highest-paid acto ...
as Ahmad Jamal/
Mir Taqi Mir
Mir Muhammad Taqi (February 1723 – 20 September 1810), known as Mir Taqi Mir (also spelled Meer Taqi Meer), was an Urdu poetry, Urdu poet of the 18th century Mughal Empire, Mughal India and one of the pioneers who gave shape to the Urdu ...
*
Iman Ali
Iman Ali (; born 19 December 1980) is a Pakistani actress and model who is best known for her work in Urdu films. Ali made her film debut with a leading role in the 2007 thriller '' Khuda Kay Liye'', for which she won a Lux Style Award for Bes ...
as Mysterious girl/Mahtab Bai
*
Sanam Saeed
Sanam Saeed is a Pakistani actress, singer and former model who predominantly works in Urdu cinema and television. She is best known for portraying the role of Kashaf Murtaza in Momina Duraid's ''Zindagi Gulzar Hai'', for which she received nu ...
as Naina Kanwal
*
Manzar Sehbai
Manzar Sehbai (born 19 March 1950) is a Pakistani actor who appears in Lollywood films and serials. He has worked in different drama serials and made his film debut in 2011 with Shoaib Mansoor's '' Bol'' for which he won Lux Style Awards and SA ...
as Dr. Kaleem
*
Huma Nawab
Huma Nawab is a Pakistani actress. She is one of the most popular actresses of her time and one of the most successful Pakistani TV actresses of the 1980s and 1990s. She played major roles in TV dramas '' Chand Grehan'', ''Aahat'', '' Nijaat'', ...
as Kaleem's ex-wife
*
Alyy Khan
Alyy Khan (born 6 December 1968) is a British-Pakistani actor and host who has worked in Hollywood, Bollywood, and Lollywood films and television series. He is known for his roles in the films '' A Mighty Heart'' (2007), ''Traitor'' (2008), ...
as Nawab Sahab
*
Paras Masroor
Paras Masroor is a Pakistani theatre and television actor and screenwriter.
He has played the role of Torah Khan in Momina Duraid's '' Sang-e-Mar Mar'' (2016) for which he received Hum Award for Best Supporting Actor. He further appeared in fi ...
as Siraj
* Syed Fazal Hussain as Karam Elahi
*
Rashid Farooqui
Rashid Farooqui is a Pakistani actor who appears in Pakistani films and television series. He is known for his villainous roles, such as Inspector Ibrahim in Laal Kabootar.
Career
Rashid Farooqui started his career as a theatre actor and late ...
as Nawaz
Music
The music album launch ceremony was held in Dubai on 14 April 2016. The first song promo namely ''Us ka Kharam Dekh Kar'' was released the very next day. The second song ''Jaag Musafir'' was launched on 28 April at Beaconhouse National University followed by next song ''Ye Dhoan Sa'' was released on
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...
on 2 May.
Production
Marketing
The teaser trailer of film was released on 9 May 2014. On 23 March, first look poster of film was revealed followed by theatrical trailer the same night. The MaheMir team ran a decent promotional campaign visiting several institutes including
Iqra University
Iqra University, () is a Private University primarily with its main campus located in the Defence View area of Karachi, Pakistan. It has additional campuses in other parts of the city, in Islamabad and Peshawar. Iqra University was ranked as the ...
,
Indus University
Indus University ( ;), formerly Indus Institute of Higher Education, is a university in Pakistan. It is chartered by the government of Sindh and ranked with the top most category "W" by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC). In 2 ...
Earlier, the film was scheduled to release on 6 November 2015 but it was postponed and was released on 5 May 2016 in U.A.E and in Pakistan on 6 May. The film was premiered in Karachi. It was given a Universal (U) rating by the Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC).
Reception
Box office
According to ''BODs prediction film might not have good business prior to film's big cast, as it was releasing opposite to Captain America: Civil War the same weekend.
Critical response
The film received huge praise for its creativity as
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 ...
described it as "once in a blue moon film".
The film received good reviews from critics. Rafay Mahmood 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 film 4/5 stars and verdicts "Watch the film with your friends and family. It is worth your money and initiates a constructive discourse".
Mehreen Hasan of Dawn Images gave the film 4/5 stars and describes the film as "a rather prescient work that anticipates its every challenge in the box office, yet refuses to pander to what sells". Lisa Tsering fro The Hollywood Reporter stated," The men’s performances are strong throughout. Mustafa captures the inner fire of a misunderstood writer (though we never see him, you know, ''writing'') and does a decent job in bringing the Urdu poetry-heavy dialogue to life. Sehbai adds gravitas to his role as the elder poetry professor, and Khan puts in a spirited performance as Nawab. The women do not fare as well — Saeed simpers through her annoyingly mannered performance as the empowered female poet, and Ali’s face seems frozen into one expression as she delivers her lines in an unnaturally low growl".
Awards
*Mah-e-Mir was awarded the Best Narrative Film Award at the Guam International Film Festival in 2016.
See also
*
List of Pakistani films of 2016
This is a partial list of Pakistani films scheduled to release in 2016:
Highest-grossing films
The top 10 films released in 2016 by worldwide gross are as follows:
:''Background color indicates the current releases''
Events
Award ceremon ...
*
List of submissions to the 89th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
This is a list of submissions to the 89th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has invited the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award ...