Pakistani movie ‘Cake’ has not even hit the theaters yet but has successfully managed to create the perfect noise prior to its release.
While all films leave no stone turned to create massive hype before their premieres, there is something relatively different about Cake and its illustrious promotions.
Not only is the family drama amongst the first of our movies to premiere at London’s Leicester Square, the director Asim Abbasi is already bagging accolades for his cinematic endeavor.
UK Asian Film Festival in London has awarded Cake with the best director award, assuring us that the fate of the Sanam Saeed, Adnan Malik, and Amina Sheikh starrer seems promising.
It is obvious that the tale has clicked just right with the global audience. But will it tug at the heartstrings of the locals, especially with a ‘not- so- desi’ name like ‘Cake’?
In a tete a tete with Brandsynario, Sanam Saeed was quick to clear the matter and revealed that there is a lot more to the title of the movie than just being a firangi word.
“Cake is a universally used word in all languages. It is even used in Urdu, Sindhi, and Punjabi. It doesn’t make us an angrezi burger just because of the name.
The delicacy has many layers to it just like people, emotions, relationships do. It is brought at all happy occasions and brings people together. Its symbol acts as a meeting point for people. The ingredients used to make it all taste different. But when they come together they form a perfect balance.
Hence, the metaphor is used to describe personality, emotions, and relationships.”
With so many movies hitting the cinemas and unfortunately bombing at the box-office, only a few soared high and minted massive moolah.
Will Cake be able to drive people to the cinema, we asked Asim Abbasi.
“The special ingredient in Cake is its relatability and honesty of storytelling. We have tried to be very truthful with what we were trying to do i.e. telling a family story with very intricate detail and look at how these relationships evolve.”
According to the director, Pakistanis have not yet seen a plot akin to Cake in cinemas ever before.
“I hope it pushes the industry in the direction where people are given a chance to tell their stories and we can have different kinds of narratives, rather than just one tale being told multiple times in various ways”, stated Abbasi.
Another imperative thing we noticed in the trailer was the portrayal of headstrong women in the tale. Meanwhile, other entertainment veterans focus on becoming the voice of the comparatively suppressed gender in Pakistan.
Here’s what Asim revealed for opting a different approach in Cake.
“It was not a conscious decision, it was just how I see women. The intention was not to show empowering women, but to exhibit women I see on a day-to-day basis. These are the women who are empowered and are not being subdued.”
“I felt the same way”, piped in actor Adnan Malik. “I had very strong female influences all my life and in a way, I felt very connected to the script. While we see less of such women around us, it will be nevertheless a good take on the portrayal of women in Pakistan.”
With the movie’s release just two days away, Cake is entering cinemas with full force along its star-studded trio confident about being victorious.
But will the mass Pakistani audience who discreetly loves cheesy dialogues and items numbers welcome the intellectual saga? Let’s wait and watch.
