Review: 'Bol ' is moving, but also underwhelming

Film: Bol
Director: Shoaib Mansoor
Cast: Manzar Sehba, Humaima Malick, Atif Aslam and Iman Ali
Rating: ***

 

Shoaib Mansoor’s Khuda Kay Liye was a game-changer. The first Pakistani film to get a wide release outside the country, and showered with accolades at international film festivals, it touched on the theme of modern Islam and its impact on the world. The film struck a chord with its underlying message, and at the same time entertained too.

Although a bit too lengthy, KKL had three parallel stories to tell and Mansoor managed to tie them all up neatly by the time the film ended, not letting the length bother you.

 

Mansoor’s second film Bol, which has already set box office records in Pakistan, makes as valid a point as KKL did. It focusses on the plight of the girl child in Pakistan (an issue which should find resonance in India too) and the problem of the nation’s burgeoning population (another point of connect with Indians). Mansoor narrates another moving story after KKL, jolting you out of your comfort zone with some brutally realistic sequences, and brings to light issues that deserve debate and discussion.

 

But while the good intentions and a thought-provoking story go a long way in making Bol a remarkable film, the lengthy run time and a narrative that lags intermittently comes in the way of the film being truly enjoyable. It’s a good film, no doubt, but also slightly underwhelming in totality.

Bol tells the story of the seven daughters of an ageing hakimfinding hard to make ends meet. Even as his income takes a hit with people turning to modern science, the hakim’s wife continues to beget children, all of them girls. One of their children is a hermaphrodite, which enrages the hakim. He refuses to name the baby – who the family calls Saifu – or treat the child as his own. The film narrates the plight of the hakim’s family, living under his authoritarian rules and archaic thinking. The oldest daughter Zainab revolts, which results in conflict at home.

Mansoor is fearless when it comes to speaking his mind out through his stories. Like in KKL, he is critical of the more old-fashioned, staunch practitioners of Islam in Bol too. The conflict between modern and conventional Muslims continues, and he manages to give voice to a young, evolving nation once again.

But too many sub-plots mar the storytelling. Singing sensation Atif Aslam - cast as the next-door-neighbour - seems to perform the function of an ‘item boy’, flitting in and out of the narrative abruptly, making sure he sings a song every time he’s on screen. The introduction of Mina, a Heera Mandi courtesan inspired by Pakeezah, is interesting, but doesn’t add anything of value to the story. Also, the film tends to get preachy a bit too much.

The acting is top-notch. Manzar Sehba and Humaima Malick, as the hakim and eldest daughter respectively, are fabulous. Shafqat Cheema, as Chowdhury, is another fine actor. Mansoor’s dialogues are memorable.

Overall, Bol makes an impact, but fails to live up to potential. Watch it without expecting to be blown away and you might enjoy it. But watch it, surely.