The year has been full of firsts for the Pakistani cinematic industry and we have seen quite some pleasant shockers.With the revival of the industry, the movie genres expanded and we have been treated to spy espionage thrillers, crime capers, comedies, drama, romantic and now Pakistan’s first computer-animated feature-length film
The first animated movie of Pakistan is something of great importance to the movie industry of Pakistan. Ever since the revival of the faltering industry started to rise up like a phoenix from ashes, we have seen quite some marvelous movies produced by the same industry who didn’t venture beyond the traditional Punjabi ‘ghunda’ flicks.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the Oscar-winning director has directed this movie. It is a joint production of SOC films, ARY Films under the production banner of Waadi Animation. The movie duration is 1.5 hours. The movie is slated for release on 22nd May, 2015.
The Plot:
The plot revolves around the three main characters, the 11-year-old friends Saadi, Amina and Kamil and is set in a fictional town Roshan Basti (Town of lights).
The movie focuses on the teenagers gaining superpowers and their struggle to rid their town of the evils both supernatural and ordinary organized crimes that plague it.
The big baddie in the movie is a petty criminal turned evil supernatural lord ‘Mangu’ who rules over the fictional town through his terror and thugs.
In the middle of the plot lie two talisman keys and their two keepers, one good and one evil granting respective superpowers to the characters.
Critical Analysis:
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has delivered a powerful message to the children that everyone has their special powers and abilities and they should be utilized for the betterment of society. It empowers children to see them as superheroes who can bring about a change just by doing their part in the society.The children gain the message of will power, intelligence over anger and using their abilities to make a change in the society.
The movie addresses many social issues that plague Pakistan and its citizens such as littering, water and electricity shortage and its mafia, Bus racing and ‘Bhatta’. The movie portrays the downfall of the citizens that refrain from their responsibilities of doing their part in the society and condemning and stopping acts of evil.
The movie delivers the message to parents and adults to believe in the future generation; listen to their kids if they are telling something instead of shunning them away or branding them liars. They are told to be responsible so the future generations don’t turn up indifferent to the problems of the society.
The screenplay was crafted nicely. Any Pakistani could relate to the pointy sarcastic dialogues and the societal clichés. There were quite a few comedic punch lines which enticed hilarious moments in the movie. The action scenes were engaging and the camera movements tailored accordingly.
The duration of 1.5 hours is reasonable for the movie and the story doesn’t drag on. Yet the movie lacks a bit in the story development as movie struggles to create suspense but ends up looking half cooked as some things remain unanswered.
Voice actors should be lauded for a job well done, portraying the typical desi Pakistani characters.
The animation was quite commendable for being the first animated movie of Pakistan. There were rarely any repetitions in the animation; the texture was deep and detailed albeit some details were missing in some instances.
Lighting effects were really good throughout and some scenes such as ‘Mangu’ being dragged to the evil dimension by evil minions and the evening sky tones really stood out. The sound effects were excellent that really immersed you in the movie.
There was heavy brand placement throughout the movie. The most prominent of all was EBM’s ‘RIO’ which had billboards placement, shutters painted with the brand name and background recalls. The other biscuit less heavily placed in the movie was ‘Gluco’. Commander safeguard makes an appearance introducing the movie in the start and ‘Commander Safeguard’ action figure in Saadi’s room. Also ‘Safeguard’ soap placement can be seen on Amina’s father’s shop.
The Verdict:
Being the first Pakistani animated feature film, 3 Bahadur had to prove its mettle. It was quite a huge burden, expectations were high and the film delivers what was expected. The effort of introducing a Pakistani animated film should be applauded and cherished. The children can easily relate to the main characters as they are Pakistani.
Overall it is a commendable effort and for the kids, a must watch. The movie is slated for release on 22nd May, 2015.
Ratings:
Story: 6/10
Action: 7/10
Acting: 7/10
Direction: 7/10
Soundtrack: 6/10
Animation: 7/10
Overall Rating: 7/10
