The only song-and-dance sequence in the film is well put together, too, and puts many commercial ventures who attempt the same to shame by incorporating the local culture really well.Īnother of the film’s plus points is the performance put in by the lead and supporting cast members. The production quality here is quite decent – the photography captures the semi-arid environs of interior Sindh rather well, and the music – both the background and the OST is actually quite good. On their way, they encounter a host of characters played by Saleem Mairaj (as a slow-witted wadera ), Adnan Shah Tipu and Mustapha Qureishi, who makes his larger than life presence felt in the avatar of the elder wadera. The film starts off promisingly enough with a bunch of young doctors played by Fariya Hassan, Ahmed Zeb, and Wafa Abrar who head off to Tharparkar to set up camp for kids suffering from malnutrition. That is not to say all is lost when it comes to the film. If this happens, the final product morphs into a very in-your-face piece of public service message, which is what happens with Talash. Note that I use the words ‘core’ and ‘plot’ here – it is absolutely critical for a film to have an engaging plot and also for the social issue discussed to not completely overpower and overwhelm it. It is difficult to strike the right balance between entertainment and social messaging, and when it comes to commercial cinema filmmakers usually try to keep depiction of such issues at the core of the plot, or perhaps as its important corollary.
Handling a film with an important underlying social theme is always a tricky business.