Daily Times

LAHORE: ‘Teri Meri Love Story’ (‘TMLS’) is a film made with passion, dedication, hard work and love for quality cinema, said film director Jawad Bashir during an exclusive interview with Daily Times.

‘TMLS’, which would be released across the country on September 2, promises to be an entertaining affair filled with humour, romance and action, expecting to leave the audience entertained and flabbergasted. “It is a romantic comedy with situations that would keep the audiences engaged and entertained all along. I don’t believe in films that are outrageous and distant from reality. We have tried to make a film that is more relatable and depicts complexed situations of everyday life,” the director said on Wednesday.

‘TMLS’ is Jawad Bashir’s second film as a director after ‘Maya’, a horror film that was released in 2015. Working for the last 23 years in the industry and establishing a name as an actor, writer and entertainer, Bashir is now in pursuit of achieving his childhood dream by trying his hand at feature-film direction. “With the advent of new age cinema, there is a lot of scope for Pakistani filmmakers to display their skill. We are blessed to be working at a time when Pakistani cinema is on way to its revival. All we need is an efficient system that should not only safeguard the right of artists but should also help canalise the available talent,” Bashir opined.

‘TMLS’, co-produced and distributed by Summit Entertainment and Hum Films, features an esteemed star cast including Mohib Mirza, Ushna Shah, Umar Shahzad, Uzma Khan, Mohsin Abbas Haider and Salman Shahid in lead roles. Praising the efforts of his crew, Bashir said the passion with which the entire team worked was extremely satisfying, as it depicted that everyone on the set was at the same wavelength on the set. “It took exactly a year for us to shoot the film. I really appreciate the amount of dedication and patience shown by the entire crew despite not-so-favourable conditions at times. Yes, we had to face some adverse circumstances but after watching the end product, everything seems worth it,” he maintained.

As the Pakistani film industry is currently in a transcending phase, Bashir believed that it is important for people to remain less critical and more encouraging towards artists. “Everything takes time and undue criticism can hamper the confidence of aspiring filmmakers. People should understand that it would take some time for us to master the art, in line with our competitors. Completing a film within stipulated time itself is an achievement in the prevailing circumstances,” the director remarked.

Bashir learnt the art of filmmaking at the National College of Arts (NCA), where he along with his friends started a classic spoof TV programme ‘VJ’. The programme was an instant hit and Bashir later rose to prominence as a prolific sitcom director, most of which were shot in NCA.

The ‘TMLS’ director urged young and aspiring filmmakers to remain patient and refrain from expecting instant results. Recalling his early days, he said it was difficult for him to break into the industry as its reputation at that time restricted educated families from stepping into it.

On a query, he said he prefers following his heart and is not much worried about the numbers at the box office. “As a filmmaker, my job is to create quality cinema besides inspiring people through my work. A film made for box office, kills the very essence of creativity. ‘TMLS’ has been my life for the past one year and I hope it does wonders both critically and commercially,” he added.