LAHORE: In a similar vein as when Napoleon Bonaparte said, ‘give me good mothers and I’ll give you a good nation’, Shoaib Mansoor has proved true through “Bol” his own version of this saying, ‘give me a good script and good cast and I’ll give you a great movie’.Proving to be the biggest event of the year, the premiere of “Bol” was a festival of stars, glitz, glamour and epic achievement at the Cinestar Thursday. Notables from not just the film and fashion industry but all walks of life showed up to witness the exquisite work put together by the team crafting “Bol”. Senator Shafqat Mahmood, Geo TV CEO Mir Ibrahim Rahman, Geo TV President Imran Aslam, eminent journalist and diplomat Maleeha Lodhi, performing arts icon Nighat Chaudhry, renowned poet Wassi Shah, film producer Hassan Askari, filmstar Ghulam Mohiyyudin, pop icon Ali Zafar, TV sensation Umaima and Rashid Khawaja were some of the many who showed up to be the first to watch the much anticipated Geo production. “Bol”, is set among apparently ordinary characters and is a celebration of innovative movie making which manages to draw all flavors of entertainment, storytelling and a lasting impact of morals and social conduct. As if unfazed by the culture of fear and conservativeness woven intricately in the present day Pakistani society, Shoaib Mansoor has yet again shown character and perseverance in telling a story that makes a bold social statement against stereotypical pressure groups who believe in imposing their brand of life on others. Challenging the culture of preconceived judgments about everyday characters, the writer has expressed how titles associated with individuals based on profession and status become insignificant when the test of time is more of an opportunity rather than crisis for those who shine through their humane values. While character played by every actor in the movie seemed engorged deep within there natural selves, they contributed to the treatment and grip of the movie in a befitting manner. Mahira although a rookie in the world of silver-screen, has surfaced as an exciting prospect and a great find for the industry which is short in supply of such talent. The movie seeks to fix responsibility of the everyday crisis and the bigger catastrophes of life in a concrete manner yet leaves a lot of judgment to its audience to ponder upon. Promoting freedom of thought and snubbing all ideologies based on tunnel vision, “Bol” assumes a position more than just a movie in the present circumstances and in addition to raising a lot of questions regarding our social norms, it asserts a liability, on all who watch it, of doing our part to create a positive change instead of sitting it out apathetically.
