Superstar has all the trappings of a good film. A potential storyline, a skillful director, A Superstar headlining the film and an amazing soundtrack.. However the film utilizes all of these elements in places and comes the 2nd half, the charm is lost to a rushed ending without much coherence.
Superstar could easily have been the film of the year. However it fails to rise above. The screenplay ruins a potential story in the 2nd half and character motivations are left unexplained. Little time is used on the development than a few unnecessary scenes.
The direction of the film is just adequate. Despite a few creative blocking choices by Ehteshammudin, the rest is handled with ignorance leaving one in doubt whether this was the same director who directed the masterpiece Sadqay Tumharay and the gritty Udaari.
The screenplay sets the story in quite majesty, however after a major plot twist, it never picks itself up. One of the major blunders done was the lack of scenes showing Noor's struggle and Sameer Khan's character which is left mostly in grey. After that a scene here and there, Mahira showing her acting chops, Bilal struggling to deliver, a death scene, An effortless and nostalgic Nadeem Baig and boom; an anticlimactic end, trying to make up for what cannot be redeemed.
However it is not easy to ignore the film's strengths. Thebiggest being Mahira Khan. Like the rest of her films post-Raees, Mahira too is the major draw and saving grace of the film. While given the margin to perform, in just a two minute scene, she leaves you in awe of how much versatile she is i-e the theater sequence. The rest is also handled in subtlety. Despite a few things not visually shown, Khan makes her character relatable and delivers an authentic and strong performance. However she still has to give a career best. Nadeem Baig definitely added grace to the film. The soundtrack was amazing and so was the background score, probably one of the bests from the recent Pakistani films.
Superstar has a well thought out story which the director failed to visually express in all its glory also due to a shoddy screenplay. Had the treatment been better, it would have been the film of the year
Superstar could easily have been the film of the year. However it fails to rise above. The screenplay ruins a potential story in the 2nd half and character motivations are left unexplained. Little time is used on the development than a few unnecessary scenes.
The direction of the film is just adequate. Despite a few creative blocking choices by Ehteshammudin, the rest is handled with ignorance leaving one in doubt whether this was the same director who directed the masterpiece Sadqay Tumharay and the gritty Udaari.
The screenplay sets the story in quite majesty, however after a major plot twist, it never picks itself up. One of the major blunders done was the lack of scenes showing Noor's struggle and Sameer Khan's character which is left mostly in grey. After that a scene here and there, Mahira showing her acting chops, Bilal struggling to deliver, a death scene, An effortless and nostalgic Nadeem Baig and boom; an anticlimactic end, trying to make up for what cannot be redeemed.
However it is not easy to ignore the film's strengths. Thebiggest being Mahira Khan. Like the rest of her films post-Raees, Mahira too is the major draw and saving grace of the film. While given the margin to perform, in just a two minute scene, she leaves you in awe of how much versatile she is i-e the theater sequence. The rest is also handled in subtlety. Despite a few things not visually shown, Khan makes her character relatable and delivers an authentic and strong performance. However she still has to give a career best. Nadeem Baig definitely added grace to the film. The soundtrack was amazing and so was the background score, probably one of the bests from the recent Pakistani films.
Superstar has a well thought out story which the director failed to visually express in all its glory also due to a shoddy screenplay. Had the treatment been better, it would have been the film of the year
