Baaji (transl. elder sister) is a 2019 Pakistani romantic drama film, directed by Saqib Malik and produced by his Production company Page 33 Films. The film features Meera as Shameera Osman Khalid Butt as Rohail Khan/ Khalid Osman, Amna Ilyas as Neha, Mohsin Abbas Haider as Ajji, Ali Kazmi as Rammy , Nayyar Ejaz, and Nisho in pivotal roles. It is a dramatic tale of a fading Lollywood actress Shameera (Meera), who is not accepting that now her position in the industry is not much valuable. The story revolves around the relationship of Shameera with a Salon girl Neha (Amna Ilyas) who later becomes an assistant of Shameera and make this opportunity happens of working with an American Based Pakistani Director Rohail Khan (Osman Khalid Butt). Neha who belongs to a conservative lower middle class family then also make herself involved in Shameera's comeback movie titled Waapsi by helping them in rehearsals and script making so far she get a chance to take a supporting role in the movie. The film includes Ali Kazmi as Raamy (Shameera's Boyfriend) who is highly aggressive about Shameera. Mohsin Abbas Haider plays the love interest of neha's character, while the Legendary actor Nayyer Ejaz supports the film by his great comics and unforgettable role as Chand Kamal, film also includes numerous well-known faces from the industry as in cameo appearances.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
| Baaji | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Urdu | باجی |
| Directed by | Saqib Malik |
| Written by | Irfan Ahmed Urfi |
| Story by | Irfan Ahmed Urfi |
| Produced by | Saqib Malik Angeline Malik |
| Starring | Meera Osman Khalid Butt Amna Ilyas Mohsin Abbas Haider Ali Kazmi Nayyar Ejaz |
| Edited by | Adnan Ali Khan |
| Music by | Taha Malik |
Production company | Page 33 Films |
| Distributed by | ARY Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 132 minutes |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Language | Urdu |
| Budget | Rs. 60 million (US$210,000)[1] |
| Box office | Rs. 125 million (US$430,000) (Domestic)[2] |
Cast
edit- Meera as Shameera
- Osman Khalid Butt as Rohail Khan
- Amna Ilyas as Neha
- Mohsin Abbas Haider as Ajji
- Ali Kazmi as Rameez Aslam (Rammy)
- Nayyar Ejaz as Chand Kamal
- Nisho as Dilshad Aapi
- Irfan Khosat as Stage Owner
- Ruhi Khan as Neha's Mother
- Nirvaan Nadeem as Neha's brother
- Aamir Qureshi as Police Inspector
Cameos
edit- Mehwish Hayat as herself
- Mahnoor as Item Girl
- Ali Saleem as Begum
- Ayesha Sana as Salon Owner
- Humayun Saeed as himself
- Zeb Bangish as herself
- Yasir Hussain as Director
- Sania Saeed as Neha's Lawyer
- Mustafa Qureshi As Pehalwaan
- Tapu Javeri as himself
- Tariq Amin as himself
- Frieha Altaf as herself
- Ali Azmat as himself
- Angeline malik as herself
- Juggan Kazim as herself
- Deepak Perwani as himself
- Muhammad Mubarik Ali as himself
Release
editThe first look teaser of the film was released on 23 April 2019. The teaser was highly appreciated by the audiences on every social media platform and have millions of shares on sites, later on the Theatrical trailer published on 30 May 2019 which truly inspires the cinema lovers all around. Critical response was also appreciative and in support of the film. The response from the general audiences changes right after the release of controversial song Gangster Guriya, however the Mehwish Hayat featured song controversy was sort of blessing in disguise for the movie, as films gets a huge public response on its release.[9][10] The film was released on 28 June 2019 under the banner of ARY Films nationally and was also had an international release by B4U Films. Baaji wasn't the first film which was distributed internationally by B4U Films as other Pakistani films such as Rangreza, Janaan, 7 Din Mohabbat In, Cake were also released by the same banner.[11][12][13]
Home Media
editBaaji was made available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video in United States and United Kingdom in August, 2020. The film had a Television Premier on Eid al-Fitr, 26 May 2020, on ARY Digital.
Reception
editBox office
editThe film collected 0.9 crores on its opening day and 0.95 crore on its second day. On its third day it collected 0.95 crore making a total gross of Rs 2.80 crores by the end of its opening weekend. It collected Rs 2.10 crores by the end of its second weekend. After the end of its run it earned Rs 12 crores domestically.[14] The film was declared a commercial success.[15][16][17]
Critical reception
editHassan Hassan of Galaxy Lollywood rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars saying that "Baaji may just be the best cinematic work that portrays Lollywood's forgotten cinematic heritage on a colorful yet a dark palette". He praised the performances of Meera and Ilyas.[18]
Soundtrack
edit| No. | Song(s) | Singer(s) & Composers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | Khilti Kali | Taha Malik feat. Zeb Bangash & Osman Khalid Butt | 03:19 |
| 02. | Badlaan | Zeb Bangash & Saad Sultan | 03:30 |
| 03. | Gangster Guriya | Taha Malik feat. Sunidhi Chauhan | 02:53 |
| 04. | Ik Tu | Zeb Bangash & Saad Sultan | 01:43 |
| 05. | Ye Aaj Mujh Ko Kya Hua | Jamal Rahman feat. Natasha Noorani & Aima Baig | 02:49 |
| 06. | Shaam Nasheeli | Zeb Bangash & Saad Sultan | 02:09 |
| 07. | Tak Way | Naseebo Lal | 06:31 |
Accolades
edit| Date of ceremony | Award | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2020 | Lux Style Awards | Best Film | Saqib Malik / Page 33 Films | Nominated | [19] |
| Best Director | Saqib Malik | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Meera | Nominated | |||
| Amna Ilyas | Nominated | ||||
| Best Playback Singer | Zeb Bangash ("Gudi Wang") | Nominated |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Baaji 2019 ~ box office collection budget hit or flop". Jeeveerji.blogspot.com. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ "BAAJI LIFETIME BOX OFFICE COLLECTIONS PAKISTAN". EntertainmentPk.com. 18 September 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
- ^ "Meera Comes Back to the Big Screen With Baaji on 29th June". HipinPakistan.com. 6 March 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
- ^ "Meera and Baaji cast celebrate 23 March with a tribute to Pakistan". images.dawn.com. 23 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ "'Baaji' cast reveals what it was like working with Meera". Tribune.com.pk. 6 October 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Meera stuns in first look of upcoming film 'Baaji'". Tribune.com.pk. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "'Baaji' will bridge the divide between new-age and classical Pakistani cinema: Saqib Malik". dailytimes. 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
- ^ "Take a look at the new poster for 'Baaji' featuring Meera and Amna". Samaa TV. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "'Baaji' teaser just dropped and boy, does Meera look glamorous in it!". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ^ "Meera's 'Baaji' to release on June 28". Daily Times. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ "'Baaji': 10 things to know about the Pakistani film". Gulf News. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ "Pakistani film 'Baaji' to be released on Friday". radio.gov.pk. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
- ^ Shabbir, Buraq. "B4U to release Baaji internationally". thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
- ^ "BAAJI LIFETIME BOX OFFICE COLLECTIONS PAKISTAN". EntertainmentPk.com. 18 September 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
- ^ "Baaji continues to shine at the local box office". www.thenews.com.pk. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ "Meera's 'Baaji' is a box office success". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ "Box Office: 'Baaji' almost touching the 3 crore mark on first weekend". Galaxy Lollywood. 1 July 2019. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ "Baaji (Review): A colorfully brilliant yet dark portrayal of Lollywood's forgotten cinematic heritage". galaxylollywood.com. 29 June 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
- ^ Images Staff (5 October 2020). "Lux Style Awards nominations announced". DAWN Images. Retrieved 4 April 2022.