Parwaaz Hai Junoon is one of the few patriotic films that tackle the subject in a light-hearted way; it has romance, it has comedy, it has action sequences and above all, it is shot in places where no civilian has gone before.
It also has an ensemble cast featuring TV stars as well as people who should be in films, making it a one-time watch for the sake of your motherland.
However, its biggest drawback is that is doesn’t have anything new as the academy scenes are inspired by Sunehrey Din, action sequences from Top Gun and the romantic angle from Farhat Ishtiaq dramas and if you missed the title, you would have guessed that the film is a Momina & Duraid production, such as the predictability of the plot.
Synopsis
The film revolves around Sania (Hania Aamir) who joins the Pakistan Air Force as a cadet as a promise to his to-be-fiancé and does well in the academics. Hamza (Hamza Ali Abbasi) is a Tom-Cruise-inspired GD Pilot who loves to take risks and impress his fellow pilots, even if it means making his boss (Adnan Jaffer) angry.
Then there is another cadet Zain (Ahad Raza Mir) who wants to pass out as the best cadet in the academy and when others do better, that makes him jealous. How the three are related is a mystery that unravels at the climax after a lot of aerial shots, dance numbers, supporting characters and a few intensely patriotic scenes.
Analysis
Parwaaz Hai Junoon’s heart is in the right place but when you screen the director’s name casually during credits (his name must come in the very end), it shows how much authority he might have had in the production phase. It is shot like a TV drama and comes out as one too, despite some very attractive aerial shots where cadets train and pilots unleash their weapons on enemies.
Unlike Waar, the bad guys have no presence except for the scenes where they are shooting at the good guys or getting killed. Most of the actors like Asif Raza Mir, Marina Khan, Arjumand Azhar, Hina Bayat, and Kubra Khan etc. are relegated to ‘special appearances’ while the bulk of the acting is done by Hamza Ali Abbasi, Hania Aamir, Shaz Khan and Ahad Raza Mir which looks monotonous after a few scenes.
At times, the romantic angle takes you away from the patriotic side of the film which is not a good thing for a film that is the first Air Force Film in the last 50 years. Also, the climax gives you the impression of the last episode of a TV drama than a feature film and disappoints the many fans of all the three actors playing the lead. The soundtrack by Azaan Sami Khan is one of the positives in the film as in the wonderful background score by Mohsin Allah Ditta that give you the impression of watching an international release.
Verdict 3/5
For a film the release of which was postponed once, Parwaaz Hai Junoon has done well as an Eid release, despite stiff competition. The star power of Hamza Ali Abbasi, Ahad Raza Mir, and Hania Aamir have attracted people to cinemas which is something one expected from the film. However, giving them a product that was more of a telefilm than a feature film wasn’t a good idea especially when the other two releases were much bigger in scale and plot.
Had it been released on a Patriotic day (August 14th or September 6th) than a religious holiday, it might have done as a solo release with patriotism as its key ingredient, something that people missed in the abundance of releases.
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