Reluctantly as if under some compulsion and duress I consented to watch the newly released Shoaib Mansoor’s “Verna” on a dark and dingy weekday night. The reason for this was quite obvious as there was no palpable excitement or buzz either on ‘so-and-so-called’ social media platforms or on the Lahore social circuit. After the release of the expected blockbuster eagerly making its way to the big screen following mega releases such as Punjab Nahi Jaungi and Na Maloom Afraad 2, there seemed to be an “eerie silence” everywhere as if someone had been stoned into something unspeakable. What was this ‘unspeakable’ after all? I only happened to find out about it once I stepped into the cinema hall half expecting to sit through a two and a half storyless, boring and repeatedly beaten to death romantic epic of mundane proportions.
I was in for the shock of my life. Well, at the start I must say that the story seemed to be quite obvious with the husband (Haroon Shahid) and his wife (Mahira Khan), along with his sister (Naimal Khawar) unexpectantly frolicking around on a picnic in a wintry and deserted park. However, a black land cruiser was always ‘lurking’ in the background of the opening scene. After the initial setting of the stage, the story actually explodes ‘in your face.’ The only remark which could define or express what happens next could be the colloquial or inimitable Punjabi vernacular “Suck it now.”
The story unfolds in some bizarre happenings, twists, and turns. While some are believable (like the inevitable rape), others are so outrageous (the victim’s resolve to go back to the perpetrator to avenge the dead) that in our patriarchal, feudal and male-oriented conservative society it rather seemed ridiculous and unbelievable. Questions were raised so abruptly and starkly in the storyline that it is no doubt how it rightly felt so out of place to our traditional mindset. The dialogues were sharp, crisp and abrupt and helped to move the story forward at a roller coaster pace. The roles were downplayed by all the characters admirably. NO dramatization or overacting was encouraged or allowed by Shoaib Mansoor’s tight screenplay. As usual, emphasis wasn’t on cinematography or onscreen extravagance; it was typical and trademark Shoaib Mansoor stuff, plain-simple but a gripping storyline held together by the sheer force of the social drama unfolding on screen. Shoaib Mansoor, true to his colours, kept all the elements of the cinematic experience close to his heart.
Pakistani cinema it seems has come a long but hard way. From Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy’s Oscar-winning social documentaries to Adnan Sarwar’s realist masterpiece ‘Shah‘ to Jami’s indigenous cinematographic masterpiece ‘Moor‘ and Khoosat’s classy and artsy ‘Manto‘, Pakistani cinema at least has finally been able to create its own niche market. Add to this Shoaib Mansoor’s goody bag of female-centric blockbusters like ‘Khuda Kay Liye‘ and ‘Bol‘, and the picture of Pakistani parallel or alternate cinema is very much complete. Credit must be given to the few devils for attempting to undertake such a coup.
Shoaib Mansoor’s ‘Verna‘ brings to the screen the inherent hypocrisy, bigotry and double standards of our degenerative and depressingly moribund society and culture. He has in his usual and sensitive way exposed the nexus of our political, feudal and bureaucratic class in exploiting the moral and psychological fibre of the very basis of our civilization; and very unexpectedly the main protagonist in ‘Verna‘ so meticulously and deliberately plans to hit back against the well established moral and societal patriarchal standards that it becomes not only difficult but also irritatingly disgusting for the unsuspecting audience to swallow the unpalatable potion of the “prescription”. But then, such is the state of affairs in our Islamic republic that nothing other than a shock therapy of this kind can put some regenerative spark in our ‘dead bodies’.
‘Verna‘ may not invite raving reviews and critical acclaim for toweling topics and issues termed taboo to our archaic and conservative sensibilities of religion and culture but through its well-crafted roles of a husband, wife, sister, father, mother, friend, politician, civil servant, media anchor, lawyer, judge etc, it redefines the boundaries of the actual debate and dialogue which needs to be undertaken if we intend to survive in a country of civilised nations on this Earth.
Well done Shoaib Mansoor and his cast of characters, especially Mahira Khan, Haroon Shahid and Zarrar Khan. Keep it up. Thank you for the wake-up call.