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    Film Review: Thora Jee Le

    Written by: Momina Mindeel
    Posted on: January 23, 2017 |

    The cast of 'Thora Jee Le'

    Prior to its release, Thora Jee Le appeared to be a potentially interesting movie with fresh faces and the director’s innovative vision of six degrees of separation; the idea that anyone in the planet can be connected to anyone else in just six steps.

    Film Thora Jee Le
     

    A lot of us, who are firm believers of the notion that Pakistani cinema is on its way back to glory, had the date pinned to our calendars in anticipation. I entered the cinema hall with an open mind, and God knows I wanted to like the movie, I really did. However, the poor acting or overacting (I haven’t been able to decide between the two), misplaced songs, and absence of a tangible plot made it rather difficult for the audience to grasp whatever it was that the movie wanted to convey.

    Film Thora Jee Le

    (L-R) Rizwan Ali Jaffri, Fatima Shah Jillani, Salman Faisal, Bilal Abbas, Ramsha Khan and Kasim Khan

    Directed by Rafay Rashdi, Thora Jee Le was said to have gone against the tide for its unconventional choice of actors. It was supposed to be a story of self-discovery, conviction, and the importance of trust between old friends – except that it wasn’t. The story revolves around six college friends who are brought together after several years on account of a tragedy concerning one of their mutual friends, nicknamed ‘Party’ (played by Bilal Abbas), who ends up in a hospital after a drug overdose one night. The friends then decide to go on a two-day road trip to the Northern Areas of Pakistan to reconnect with each other and help their friend Party recover. From that point on, the movie is a mishmash of random scenes, misplaced songs and a hazy plot. To make matters worse, the film is two-and-a-half hours long, and just doesn’t seem to end. It is beyond my comprehension how a director could keep that length for his first ever feature film, yet be so nonchalant about its plot.

    Film Thora Jee Le
     

    The other two male leads, Kaizaad (the quintessential Pakistani rich brat, played by Rizwan Ali Jaffri) and T.C (played by Kasim Khan) join the overacting bandwagon like the rest of the characters. The only scenes that are somewhat worth watching are the ones involving Bilal Abbas and Ramsha Khan. The female characters, especially Bahar (played by Fatima Shah Gilani), only serve to reaffirm the stereotype that women merely provide eye candy in a film. Their characters are not developed, and mostly serve as fillers.

    Film Thora Jee Le

    Ramsha Khan as Misha and Rizwan Ali Jaffri as Kaizaad

    The cinematography is awful to say the least; the movie is laced with unnecessary close-ups that are enough to induce a severe headache. The soundtrack by music director Suhaib Rashdi – Rafay Rashdi’s brother – is neither pleasing to the ears, nor placed well within the movie. Most of the songs are forgettable – the kind you wouldn’t listen to more than once. Koyal Mangaat is an exception as it is very catchy, but its pointless placement in the story mars its charm.

    There are absolutely no highs or lows in the entire movie, and an element of monotony plagues it until the very end.

    All in all, Thora Jee Le makes the recent Lahore Se Aagey look much better, and that really is saying a lot.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021