'Laal Kabootar' is going to Oscars as Pakistan's official selection
September 13, 2019
Karachi-based crime thriller, Laal Kabootar, has been chosen as Pakistan's official selection for the upcoming Academy Awards, Oscars 2020.
A collaboration Geo Films and Nehr Ghar Films, the action-packed Laal Kabootar features Adeel Nawaz as Ahmed Ali Akbar, a taxi-driver bent on moving from Karachi to Dubai, and Mansha Pasha as Aliya Malik, a strong-willed woman whose world turns upside down in a series of unexpected events.
It was released on March 22, 2019.
In an exciting update on Twitter, the Laal Kabootar team announced the film's selection for Oscars 2020.
"Something for us all to be proud of as a team. All the sweat and hard work was more than worth it," they added.
Lead actor Mansha Pasha, on the other hand, praised the film further, saying: "Laal Kabootar is a gift that keeps on giving and truly one of its kind!
"To me, it stands as a landmark project within my 6 year career. Thank u Allah and hugs to the team," Pasha added.
Oscars committee
The Oscars submission is made by the Pakistani Academy Selection Committee (PASC), of which Laal Kabootar marks the seventh consecutive submission to the International Feature Film category.
Previous years' submissions included Zinda Bhaag (2013), Dukhtar (2014), Moor (2015), Mah e Mir (2016), Saawan (2017), and Cake (2018).
Award-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy chaired the PASC's 2019 committee, which also reportedly included actors Zeba Bakhtiar and Sarmad Khoosat, model Sanam Saeed, fashion designer Rizwan Beyg, and journalist Hamna Zubair.
'Game changer,' 'finest film'
Marking the directorial debut of Kamal Khan, it was produced by siblings Hania and Kamil Chima, and includes Pakistan’s leading cinematographer, Mo Azmi, screenwriter Ali Abbas Naqvi, and assistant directors Zoobia Anwar and Shahrukh Kazim Ali.
Record producer Rohail Hyatt’s son, Danyal Hyatt, composed Laal Kabootar's score while Taha Malik served as the music director.
Check out a glimpse of 'Laal Kabootar'!
Laal Kabootar had garnered tonnes of praise from both fans and the entertainment industry's big names, such as Meera Sethi, Humayun Saeed, and Osman Khalid Butt.
Sethi had termed it as a "game changer" for the contemporary Pakistani cinema, saying Laal Kabootar was among the top films of the decades.
Saeed had said it should be a priority for viewers to watch, while singer-songwriter Jimmy Khan noted that Laal Kabootar was the "finest film I’ve watched to date".
Industry newbie Bilal Khan called the movie "incredibly good".
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