Aksbandh Review: It did not excite me when I first heard about Aksbandh, the first found footage horror movie of Pakistani cinema. May be because there were mostly new names in the cast or there was no hype in mainstream media, whatever was the reason, I was not expecting anything good from it but to my surprise, it did not only excite me but also successfully unlocked a new genre in Pakistani cinema, the found footage.
Aksbandh is a story of six friends, who are not lost but in a dense jungle to shoot a found footage horror movie which eventually becomes their own story. There is no wrong turn but they witness some paranormal activities happening around them. And while there is no actual scary scene until last 15-20 minutes, Ayaz Samoo’s character keeps Aksbandh alive with his witty jokes.
Read: Aksbandh is being treadling like a movie
Ayaz Samoo has recently won ‘Best Actor in Negative Role’ award for his role in Jami’s Moor. In Aksbandh, he is playing a completely different role, yet, has done amazingly well. In every group of friends, there is always one person who cracks witty joke with perfect timing, Ayaz Samoo plays that one person. His character is hilariously funny that it keeps the movie alive when there is no scary scene for around an hour. Apart from Ayaz Samoo, Shahzeen Rahat also does a good job. Danial Afzal Khan gets an advantage because of his physique but needs to work more on his dialogue delivery. Rest of the cast does just fine.
Aksbandh is completely made in Pakistan except the background music, which has been done in India. The music justifies their efforts but it would have been better if it had been produced in Pakistan because the filmmakers have taken even bigger risks by going for a new cast and unlocked genre. Shuja Haider has sung a promotional song which gets full marks but it should have been released at least a couple of weeks earlier.
The thing which disappoints me the most is the lack of promotions. I am not sure to what extend HUM Films and Express News have agreed to support the movie but they are official partners and should have done better.
All in all, Aksbandh has a better story to follow, which offers good fun and obviously horror. It is being treated like a movie which keeps you stick to your seats.
Rating: 7.5/10 (0.5 extra for brave effort and Ayaz Samoo)
