''Mah e Mir'' ( ur, , lit=Moon of Mir) is a 2016 Pakistani
biographical film
A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docud ...
directed by Anjum Shahzad, produced by Khurram Rana, Sahir Rasheed, Badar Ikram and written by
. The film is based on the life of the famous poet
Mir Taqi Mir, role played by
Fahad Mustafa
Fahad Salahuddin ( ur, فہد صلاح الدین) commonly known as Fahad Mustafa ( ur, فہد مصطفٰی, label=none), is a Pakistani film and television actor and producer who is best known for hosting '' Jeeto Pakistan'', a game show tha ...
. Film also stars
Iman Ali,
Sanam Saeed
Sanam Saeed (born 2 February 1985) 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 ...
,
Alyy Khan and
Manzar Sehbai in lead roles. It was the
official submission by the
Pakistani Academy Selection Committee as the country's entry for the
Best Foreign Language Film at the
89th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.
Mah-e-Mir is a story that follows the struggle of a contemporary poet and draws parallels with events in Mir’s life.
The film was co-distributed by
Hum Films 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 ( ur, فہد صلاح الدین) commonly known as Fahad Mustafa ( ur, فہد مصطفٰی, label=none), is a Pakistani film and television actor and producer who is best known for hosting '' Jeeto Pakistan'', a game show tha ...
) going through a rough patch. The movie tries to draw parallels between Jamal's and
Mir Taqi Mir'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 (faithfully adapted from Mir's biography).
Cast
The film cast includes:
*
Fahad Mustafa
Fahad Salahuddin ( ur, فہد صلاح الدین) commonly known as Fahad Mustafa ( ur, فہد مصطفٰی, label=none), is a Pakistani film and television actor and producer who is best known for hosting '' Jeeto Pakistan'', a game show tha ...
as Ahmad Jamal/
Mir Taqi Mir
*
Iman Ali as Mysterious girl/Mahtab Bai
*
Sanam Saeed
Sanam Saeed (born 2 February 1985) 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 ...
as Naina Kanwal
*
Manzar Sehbai as Dr. Kaleem
*
Huma Nawab
Huma Nawab is a Pakistani actress. She played major roles in ''Chand Grehan'', '' Aahat'', '' Nijaat'', '' Hawain,'' and ''Silsila''.
Early life
Nawab was born in 1969 in Islamabad, Pakistan. She completed her education at the University of I ...
as Kaleem's ex-wife
*
Alyy Khan as Nawab Sahab
*
Paras Masroor as Siraj
* Syed Fazal Hussain as Karam Elahi
*
Rashid Farooqui 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 an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming s ...
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, ( ur, ) is a Private University primarily with its main campus located in Defence Area of Karachi, Pakistan. It has additional campuses in other parts of the city, in Islamabad and Quetta. Iqra University was ranked as the num ...
,
Indus University and shows which includes
Jeeto Pakistan, Morning Show ''Sitaray Ki Subah'',
Jago Pakistan Jago
Release
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 '' Daily Express'' 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 '' Daily Express'' 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".
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 ceremo ...
*
List of submissions to the 89th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
*
List of Pakistani submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
External links
*
*
{{Pakistani submission for Academy Awards
Pakistani romantic drama films
2010s Urdu-language films
Pakistani biographical drama films
Biographical films about writers
2016 films
2016 biographical drama films
Hum films
2016 drama films
Films set in the Mughal Empire
Films about poets