Director Shoaib Mansoor isn’t one to speak to everyone (rather anyone) so when one hears updates on his upcoming film, it’s hard to not get excited. After 6 long years, Mansoor is finally working on his next cinematic project, Verna, starring Mahira Khan and Haroon Shahid in lead roles with Zarrar Khan playing the antagonist. We also knew that Mahira Khan will be essaying a victim of sexual assault.
However, that’s all we knew until this morning but a lot of details of the film have come to light and here’s what we know now. Instep reported this morning that Mahira almost let this film go because she took too long to respond to Mansoor’s offer. The other actress in line for the role was Kubra Khan.
Further reported is the plot of the film. Apparently, the film is about a school teacher who is raped by a politician’s son, leaving her emotionally scarred. A legal battle follows and according to Usman Ghaffor at Instep, it is sure to redefine Pakistani cinema. Apparently, this will be Mansoor’s darkest film to date. We are curious to see how this will turn out because Khuda Ke Liye and Bol were already quite dark and disturbing.
The entire film has been shot in Islamabad even though the initial plans included some shooting in the Northern areas as well as a European country. Also, Mansoor has brought many newcomers on board. For instance, Naimal Khawar will be playing the role of Haroon Shahid’s sister. This will be her first professional acting experience.
The production team also includes many young, fresh film graduates. Shahbaz Shigri, the 1st assistant director, has prior experience with films like Slackistan, but art director Faiza Shah and editor Zohaib Mansoor will be bringing some freshness to the film.
Rasheed Naz, who played the maulana in Khuda Ke Liye, will be playing the role of a lawyer in Verna. Manzar Sehbai was originally offered this role but he couldn’t take out time for it.
We knew prior to Instep‘s report that Haroon Shahid will be responsible for the film’s soundtrack, which boasts 6 tracks and artists like Zeb Bangash and Soch. However, we now know that Zeb’s track is a rap number which has been penned by Mansoor himself! Of course, it’s impossible for a Shoaib Mansoor film to not be musically inclined, but Verna doesn’t revolve around music, much like his other films.
And there you have it. That’s all we know for now. Apparently the film’s official trailer is being colour graded so it should be released sometime soon.
For more detail, read the full story on Instep: Everything you need to know about Verna
