Petite shoulders, dripping kohl and bruised, the 27-year-old protagonist of Shahan Zaidi’s graphic novel, Nasreen, is here to fight the ills of society. Clad in a skull-patterned kameez and leggings with a blood-red dupatta around her neck, but what instantly rivets our attention is her holding a gun, signifying that the aggressive yet hot Nasreen is on a killing mission.
Pakistanis from across the globe have been obsessing over Nasreen, eagerly anticipating her arrival. But we have to be a little more patient. Crew Motion Pictures (CMP), a sister company of crew films has acquired the rights to the Bloody Nasreen feature film and has slated the film for a 2017 release.
“We are aiming that Bloody Nasreen will hit the screens in 2017, but we will be presenting another film before that,” says Faisal Rafi, senior producer at CMP and writer and co-producer of the Blood Nasreen film. “We are currently in pre-production phase for an epic crime drama, which will be shot in 2015. From CMP, you can expect many intense, action-oriented films over the next few years.”
Apart from the untitled drama film, the company is busy with the release of their first-ever feature film Dukhtar, which will release on August 14. The director and cast of Bloody Nasreen will be announced at the international launch of Dukhtar, which will take place a few months after its premiere in Pakistan. “Since the project is currently under way, casting has not been done. A few big international and local names have shown interest in playing the character,” Rafi shares.
The character Nasreen was created by Shahan Zaidi, who drew inspiration from the Karachi cauldron and the chaos amid which Karachiites reside. “I am certain that if made right, this movie will be fun to watch. I think a cult audience will like it… just like Tarantino movies. But, of course, if someone goes to the movie theatre with a Godfather type of drama in mind, they will be disappointed,” Zaidi told The Express Tribune in an earlier interview.
Rafi, who is co-writing the project with Zuhaib Shaikh, does not consider Nasreen as a superhero. For him, she is the ultimate anti hero. “Far from being a damsel in distress, Nasreen is distress itself,” he says. “She is the product of her environment and her character has unique and interesting motivations, which will drive the narrative, showing a darker and hidden side of the city we live in. Nasreen is Karachi personified.”
The fact that Bloody Nasreen is not an adaptation of a comic book or novel gives its makers room to experiment. In fact, Zaidi’s graphic novel will be a continuation of the story that the film presents. Bloody Nasreen will be a first-of-its-kind project in Pakistan and despite the hype and anticipation among people, it still uncertain as to how the public will respond to such a film.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2014.
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