With Khalil ur Rehman Qamar’s directorial debut film — Kaaf Kangana — all set to hit the cinemas soon, people are curious to know more. By the looks of what we have seen so far (trailers and a few songs), the film appears to be about star-crossed lovers (played by Sami Khan and Eshal Fayyaz) who not only have different faiths but also belong to different sides of the border.
Something Haute caught up with the writer, producer and director of the film, Khalil ur Rehman Qamar who had a lot to share.
When asked why he opted to wear so many hats for this film, KRQ emphasized that it was not a planned move. “I have never planned to do anything as an artist and same is the case with direction. This is my debut film as a director, but I always make sure to learn a job and then do it. I keep telling people that I have never used my power as a producer on any project. Even at the time of Landa Bazaar (his drama from 2002), it was never a producer’s decision; it was destined to be. I took a plunge after learning the craft then as well,” he said.
When we saw the first trailer prior to Eid ul Fitr, Kaaf Kangana had dialogues about ‘surgical strike’, however, the recent trailer made references to Kashmir. Did you make any changes in the film after the recent India-Pakistan tension?
“We have made no changes in the film. Always remember that nobody interferes in my work nor do I allow it. I don’t get after thoughts; I always have a clear picture about what I want to convey through a writing (be it a drama or a film). Don’t think that it’s arrogance; I am blessed by Allah with this gift and I have to guard it,†he said.
Read: This film is not a propaganda film, says KRQ about Kaaf Kangana
KRQ had another interesting trivia about the film. Ever wondered what the ‘kaaf’ in Kaaf Kangana means? “I am disclosing it today that kaaf se Kangana hai aur kaaf se Kashmir. This was a hidden message in the film but we are not depicting a story of conquering Kashmir through ammunition in this project. On the contrary, we plan to win through sound reasoning (with our dialogues),†he said.
“I want to make it clear that Kaaf Kangana is not a propaganda film. I thought about this story over four years ago and no one has made any additions in the narrative,” he added.
The director also clarified that he had no intention to propagate hate speech through Kaaf Kangana.
“My film is pro peace. I have not abused anyone in the story, on the contrary we have responded to those who abuse us in a civilized manner. Once you will see the film, you will feel as if I wrote Imran Khan’s recent speech at the United Nations General Assembly Session. The narrative of my film is along the similar lines,†he said.
When asked about the dramatic dialogues in Kaaf Kangana, KRQ had an different view.
“I also read about this somewhere. One should know that hardly 5% of the Pakistani films break-even on average; when these people talk about KQR, they should know that all these lead actors have learnt after working with me and now they pinpoint and talk about these things,” he explained.
“Film cannot exist without mukalma [conversation and dialogue]. It is the most important ingredient; it’s a stroke of luck if a film succeeds without it. You must have heard from your elders that ‘people were clapping in the cinemas’, that appreciation clap can only be achieved through dialogue. We miss it in our cinemas these days, but more educated people are coming in the industry and we expect them to reintroduce the practice,†he said adding, “Take the example of my own film –Punjab Nahi Jaungi – where people laughed on the dialogues. That’s also a form of appreciation,†KRQ added.
About acting in the film KRQ shared that he won’t be able to balance direction and acting together now, therefore he didn’t dabble in it. “I have to start working on my next film – Abhinandan – soon and hence I thought it’s high time we release this,†he added.
Kaaf Kangana is scheduled to release on 25th October.
