Faris and Zoya (Ali Rehman, Mehwish Hayat), cousins from long-warring brothers, are getting married at the behest of their beloved grandmother. However, the big fat wedding has two problems. One: Zoya doesn’t know she is getting hitched (Faris, who had last seen her when she was five, is cool with the deal, given how gorgeous she turned out to be); and Two: a djinn has fallen in love with her.

Talk about mad weddings — or, rather, the potential of it, because Daghabaaz Dil, a masala family film co-written by Wajahat Rauf and Mohsin Ali, never gets bonkers enough.

Even with its zaniness pulled back a notch, and it’s one-line story hardly getting better, the film, thanks to it’s fast pace — especially in the post-intermission half, where the drama really pulls the film together — is a good enough Eid-ul-Fitr release…especially when one factors in how bad movies have been in the last year.

Daghabaaz Dil is Wajahat Rauf’s fifth film as a director and, in my opinion, the second best of his cinematic excursions; his best film is Parday Mein Rehnay Do — though the mere mention of the film invokes ire from those who hated its guts.

Daghabaaz Dil, a masala family fi lm co-written by Wajahat Rauf and Mohsin Ali, never gets bonkers enough but is adequate enough to spend Eid money on

Wajahat’s filmography, similarly, divides camps, and Daghabaaz Dil will likely keep the distance alive between those who think he is a good-enough director, and those who think otherwise. What he is though, is consistent.

Daghabaaz Dil bears all the trademarks of a Wajahat Rauf film — it is light entertainment meant for the masses. The controversies and weighty conversations that would deviate from the escapist tone and feel of the film are oft-replaced by routine moments of drama; some critics of his work would use this as an excuse to label this work fit for television and not cinema, but that is not the case.

The film is cinematic enough (the director of photography is Asrad Khan, a regular of the director), and is adequately edited, colour-graded and sound-mixed. The seamless visual effects shots aren’t that shabby either — three out of four of them, at least. Considering that the film was pulled together in four months, the coming together of all technical departments is a feat in itself.

In a connected stream-of-though, the happening soundtrack — by Aashir Wajahat and Hassan Ali — is finely tuned to the film’s emotional needs at the right moments, which is a big plus; the album, however, also works quite well on its own.

The performances aren’t that shabby either. Ali Rehman, though looking worn-out in a few scenes, gets the best high points of his career in Wajahat’s films; he nails a character he often plays — a gentle, intelligent, well-rounded man, educated in the UK — with the charisma befitting a film hero.

Wajahat’s filmography, similarly, divides camps, and Daghabaaz Dil will likely keep the distance alive between those who think he is a good-enough director, and those who think otherwise. What he is though, is consistent.

Mehwish is spellbinding, both in looks and performance. Holding the screen with transfixing magnetism, her Zoya is strong, independent and fallible; she is not a slave to an ego that keeps her from accepting her mistakes, and that quality gives her dimension.

Momin Saqib, who plays Moon, Rehman’s childhood friend with a quirky tilt, has a bit of dimension as well, but his part, like most supporting characters in Wajahat’s films, should have had more ground to explore himself. His bit is important to the film, as is the supernatural element of the story.

Speaking of the devil — or the djinn — that aspect, though advertised as an offset to the big fat wedding part of the film, is omni-present, but often relegated to the background. If explored further with more conviction, and if the zaniness of the supernatural was pushed into high-gear in both pre and post-intermission parts, this would have been a far more engaging movie — and a far different one as well.

Given the economy of movie-making in Pakistan, I think that option was killed in the crib.

The film is held together by fine performances — Babar Ali, playing Rehman’s father, is a hoot in his first full-on comedic role in a supporting actor’s capacity, as is his crafty brother, played by Saleem Sheikh, who is in the midst of a fine comeback. Tazeen Hussain and Beo Rana Zafar round off the better end of the acting department (the cast also includes Michelle Mumtaz, Laila Wasti, Iftekhar Thakur, Qaiser Piya, and an unfunny cameo by Rahim Pardesi).

The pros certainly outweigh the cons here — in case one is wondering, the biggest let downs in the first acts are some flat-footed jokes and an equally bad reveal of the djinn, though, given the tone of the film, the big reveal isn’t really the highlight of the film.

For the most part, Daghabaaz Dil asks the audience to suspend their disbelief in favour of fun, frolic and good drama. It is certainly not the best of moments for Pakistani cinema, but it is certainly good enough to spend money on during the Eid holidays.

Released by Hum Films and produced by Hum Network Ltd, Daghabaaz Dil is rated “U” (Universal) for family-friendly humour and filmi drama

Published in Dawn, ICON, April 14th, 2024