“If you want to shine, you’ll need the darkness.” What the poster hints at is the real success of the film ‘Superstar’! A visual delight to watch, ‘Superstar’ traces the darkness of the many stars of the film and shines brightly as the cinematography of the film sheds light onto the amazingly knit screenplay, production, sets, location, acting and concept. What comes of as the real success is the ability to depict the journey of the stars, who worked off-screen but whose journey is a part of the story of Noor and Sameer simultaneously in becoming the Superstar of this Eid-ul-Adha. Beginning with the latest onset, Azaan Sami Khan’s tremendous debut at screenplay writing along with the various genres of musicality he renders through the melodious, soft, gentle and swaying tunes of the album songs; he is genuinely a ‘superstar’ who has come to light through the process of this film. Considering the period for which the film had started to roll , and the changes which it underwent in terms of casting, production, etc , all the flavours are weaved into the film very subtly through the powerful dialogues , pertinent themes and songs that fit to every emotion and frame of the film. Moreover, Ehtishamud Din’s effort of taking forward Azaan’s vision has been tremendous. His hard work, keen observation and a sensitivity to each frame, appearance and emotion directed in the film enables Azaan’s poetic and visionary characters and aspirations to live in reality, in the eyes of the audience. As a director, his craft is perfected with honesty, dedication and intricacy which is equally inspiring as Azaan’s, as an entry into mainstream cinema that upholds the banner of Hum Films in the market of film productions. Even the locations, especially Peshawar where the most part of the film is shot; Ehtisham wows with a dream-like, culturally and aesthetically pleasing presentation of the liveliness of Peshawar. Coming to the film, each character is a superstar in their own right. Whether it is the perfect comic timing and witty expressions of Alizey Shah, or the bold and brave coming of age Bilal Ashraf and his dashing looks and moves, Nadeem Baig’s graceful character as a powerful embodiment of an on-screen director through pivotal multiplicity and depth in his role as a theatre owner, as a wise family elder, as a lover who knows no limits and as a mediator in the Noor-Sameer conflict, Ali Kazmi’s smartly adjusted role and his smooth adaptability with his exceptional stern and Adnan Shah Tipu’s riveting delivery and expressions; Hum Productions have a treat for audiences with a superstar film that brings together many other stars Coming to the film ‘Superstar’ we see on screen, each character is a superstar in their own world. Whether it is the perfect comic timing and witty expressions of Alizey Shah, or the bold and brave coming of age of Bilal Ashraf’s acting career and his dashing shots and moves, Nadeem Baig’s graceful character as a powerful embodiment of an on-screen director through pivotal multiplicity and depth in his role as a theatre owner, as a wise family elder, as a lover who knows no limits and as a mediator in the Noor-Sameer conflict, Ali Kazmi’s smartly adjusted role and his smooth adaptability with his exceptional stern and Adnan Shah Tipu’s riveting delivery and expressions; Hum Productions have a treat for audiences with a superstar film that brings together many superstars. Even the cameos are on point, whether it’s the electrifying Dharak Bharak of Kubra or the scintillating presence of Syra Shehroz that surely left a mark. Well, for Hania Amir, the dimple is believed to do the magic. Ofcourse, not forgetting the biggest Superstar, Mahira Khan, who is at her finest in the film. Prior to the release of the film, the song Noori hinted at a spunky, gallant and valiant avatar and truly, Noor has embraced that fully. Mahira Khan as Noor has completely let gone of all her pre-associated characters to be so comfortable and at ease with this particular character on screen that one can’t take their eyes of her superb acting and ardent expressions. As Mahira mentioned in one of her promotional interviews, she has rightfully given full heart to this film and it shows through the honesty in the range of characters she transforms into, in the film. This is a treat for all Mahira fans as Noor is like never before, a Superstar that lives fully no matter what and is unstoppable. It is also brave of Mahira to lead and take full responsibility of the film and compete well at the box office as a female led film. That also commends the star-power she holds and connects very well with on-screen character depicting that our audiences are ready for such films and Mahira has undoubtedly set a benchmark that female-led films could do great at box-office along with a critical acclaim. Another plus point of the film is the film within a film quality, that brings two worlds together and unites the vision of Azaan and Ehtisham with Mahira, Bilal and everyone else’s. Even the supporting characters including Asma Abbas, Javed Shaikh and Marina Khan fit to the frame so perfectly, though the screen timing is very less speaking volumes of their vast experiences and choice of roles. They easily gel with the main plot and allow the actual concept of the film to take centre-stage instead of drawing away the attention towards unnecessary details. Thus the two worlds of the emerging film industry and the veterans also unite in the process of this film. What however comes off as the only drawback of the film is the lack of certain details that are left in the fear of driving away from the main theme; however which would have connected the audiences more closely to the film and its characters. There was association and even some scenes of intense connection, however, a few scenes broke that chain breaking the spell of the magical realism casted upon the audiences. Whether it was Sameer’s move towards Bollywood, or Noor’s rise to a Superstar, or the timings of the heart wrenching lyrics of GhalatFehmi and fiery Noori song or the link of theatre and films and Nadeem Baig’s play, or Sameer’s patriotic speech background and most importantly the last scene that portrays a transcendence into a Bekaraan Ishq (limitless love), a little more screen timing could have connected all the strings of the musical treat and weaved the colours of the film brighter than it is. Nevertheless, the film amazes as a Pakistani audience of the growth in terms of maturity of script, direction, acting and concept and should be watched for every effort that is put into it, the purity of its vision and into promoting the quality of our true cinematic brilliances. The writer is a student of literature and politics. She can be reached at najaf.hussain16@gmail.com