''Parchi'' ( ur, , link=no, ) is a 2018 Pakistani

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

crime comedy film directed by

Azfar Jafri Azfar Jafri ( ur, ) is a Pakistani film director, screenwriter, actor and VFX artist. He is best known for his Independent film ''Siyaah'' which earned him a critical recognition and accolades including a nomination of ARY Film Award for Best Di ...

and produced by Imran Kazmi and Arif Lakhani under the banner IRK Films. The film stars

Hareem Farooq Hareem Farooq ( ur, ; born 26 May 1992) is a Pakistani theatre, film and television actress and a film producer, known for her work in the serial ''Diyar-e-Dil'' and ''Pawnay 14 August''. She co-produced ''Janaan'' followed by her 2018 film '' ...

Ali Rehman Khan Ali Rehman Khan ( ur, ) is a Pakistani actor who appears in Urdu films, television series and theater plays. Khan has won two Hum Awards and has been nominated twice at the Lux Style Awards for his acting prowess. Born and raised in Islamabad ...

and

Shafqat Cheema Shafqat Cheema is a Pakistani actor and producer. With his career of more than three decades, he is known for playing villain roles and is dubbed as "Pakistan’s favorite villain". Early life Shafqat graduated from the Jamia Naeemia religiou ...

, with Ahmed Ali Akbar, Faiza Saleem, Shafqat Khan and Usman Mukhtar in supporting roles. Khan also wrote film whilst Usman Mukhtar managed cinematography; Farooq also produced the film. It was released and distributed by ARY Films on 5 January 2018.

Cast

as Eman *

as Bash *

as Zodiac *

Ahmed Ali Akbar Ahmed Ali Akbar is a Pakistani actor who primarily works in Urdu television. He marked his television debut at the age of thirteen in PTV's drama ''Stop Watch''. He guest-starred in 2013 drama film ''Siyaah'' and started his professional acting ...

as Saqlain *

Usman Mukhtar Usman Mukhtar ( ur, ) (born 27 July 1985) is a Pakistani actor, director, and cinematographer. Personal life Mukhtar was born in Rawalpindi on 27 July 1985, to actress Nasira, who has acted in 158 films and was known for her roles as a villain ...

as Bilal *Shafqat Khan as Bhola * Faiza Saleem as Sumera *

Faizan Shaikh Faizan Sheikh is a Pakistani actor who appears in television series and films. He is known for appearances in numerous contrasting roles. He has played several genre roles including comical, romantic, antagonist and supporting roles. Currently, ...

as Biscuit * Mahenur Haider as Natasha *

Mojiz Hasan Mojiz Hasan is a Pakistani theatre and film actor. He has appeared in several notable theatre plays and feature films. In 2019, he played a role of Jerry in Azfar Jafri's ''Heer Maan Ja'' opposite Hareem Farooq and Ali Rehman Khan. Mojiz Hasan is ...

as Virgo

Production

Development and casting

In March 2016; producer Imran Kazmi in an interview with ''

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 ''Interna ...

'' revealed that his production team had begun with the film's pre-production, and with the intention to begin shooting for the film in October 2016. He confirmed that the script had been finalised. He also told that he would be co-producing with Hareem Farooq who will also play as one of the leads in the film alongside Ali Rehman and Usman Mukhtar.

Filming

Some of the filming for the film was done in

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...

in the outskirts of the city. A night scene was shot in an old factory of an industrial zone, in very late hours of the night. Usman Mukhtar who in addition plays one of the lead characters in the film, managed the cinematography of the film.

Release

The film's trailer was released on 2 December 2017 and the film released across

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

on 5 January 2018. ''Parchi'' was the first Pakistani movie to be released in Saudi cinemas.

Box office

The film opened in Pakistan to about in its first day, made up to in its first weekend, and managed to collect up to within a week. Per reports, The film grossed nationwide, making the total gross figures up to in a month. The film ended its run at worldwide.

Reception

Critical reception

The film was premiered in Karachi on 3 January 2018. Iman Zia of MangoBaaz said, "while it isn't an entire failure, the film is not as forgettable as I had expected". Shahjehan Saleem of ''Something Haute'' rated 2.5 out of 5 stars and said, "Sadly its shortcomings let it down ��If the film has one thing going for it, it's the acting." Sonia Ashraf of '' DAWN Images'' and said, "Parchi is not a film without flaws but it has some redeemable qualities that make it worth a watch." Shahjahan Khurram of Samaa TV rated 2 out of 5 stars and said, "there were flashes of commendable performance in the flick but by and large, it failed to fire on all cylinders." Buraq Shabbir of ''

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 that cater ...

'' said, "The good thing is that Parchi has been shot very well, with good camera work and an exciting cast but unfortunately it falls flat in terms of plot and character development." Rahul Aijaz of ''

'' rated 2.5 out of 5 stars and said, "Even with a lot going on in its favour, it's a forgettable film." For '' Daily Times'', Haider Rifaat rated 4 out of 5 stars and praised it, "The fun driven film is a family entertainer for sure and manages to tease and thrill simultaneously." Saira Agha praised its cinematography but said, "Good actors cannot save a bad film and the same fate is met by ''Parchi''." Ally Adnan praised only 3 actors, while he wrote that "''Parchi'' will not blow anyone's mind"; adding "the 'Mummy Daddy Burger Film' genre does not consider originality and innovation to be a virtue" and it too borrows the ideas from "more than 20 films". Umair Sohail of Dunya News rated 3 out of 5 stars and said that it is "a full-on comedy movie".

Music

References

External links

* *
Soundtrack
on Saavn {{ARY Films 2010s crime comedy films Pakistani adventure comedy films 2010s adventure comedy films Films scored by Manj Musik 2018 comedy films Films directed by Azfar Jafri