Umro Ayyar: Challenges in Making Pakistan’s Most Expensive Film

Umro Ayyar – A New Beginning, Eidul Azha’s most anticipated release, boldly marks Pakistan’s entry into the SciFi genre. In an interview with FHM Pakistan, stars Usman Mukhtar and Faran Tahir shared intriguing details about what is hailed as “Pakistan’s most expensive film to date.” Tahir, playing the main antagonist, proudly described the project as “a new beginning in Pakistan’s industry, of a new genre, with excitement and layers that go beyond the film’s title.”

Mukhtar, portraying the legendary thief and warrior Umro Ayyar, urged Pakistani audiences to support local SciFi productions as they do Bollywood’s. “You watch these kinds of films from our neighbouring country, so you should definitely watch this one, especially since it’s derived from your own literature,” he said. Tahir agreed, adding, “We always complain that our industry doesn’t expand. Now we’re taking that brave and risky step.”

Highlighting the film’s literary roots, Tahir, known for his roles in popular Hollywood productions, noted the gap between the younger generation and Pakistani literature. The Pakistani-American actor emphasized, “It’s vital to create content for our younger generation. Umro Ayyar and others are stories that have been part of our culture for 600 years, but we’re not celebrating them. With this film, we’ve modernized a classic story, hopefully starting a new trend.”

As an actor taking on this new first-of-it’s-kind project, Mukhtar admitted his initial concern about the film’s visuals. “My first question was about the VFX and if it would look like a joke, because it’s a big problem here,” he said. However, he was reassured by director Azfar Jafri’s confidence. “When he said it wouldn’t look like a joke, I was convinced because Azfar’s background is in VFX. I went into the studio in the beginning when the first few shots were being made, and I came home so excited. If you took the VFX shot that I had seen in the studio and replaced it with a Marvel film, you wouldn’t know the difference,” the actor enthused.

The Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay actor also shared a humorous anecdote about his casting. “When Azfar called me and he said the words Umro Ayyar, I did not ask which role I was playing, I just said done. I didn’t know what role he was offering me. I just said I’m on board.” He was pleasantly surprised to learn that Tahir was part of the project. “Azfar plays a lot of pranks on me. When I saw the role of the main antagonist, my first question was: who will pull this off? Azfar said Faran Tahir, and I genuinely thought this was one of his jokes.”

The conversation then turned to accessibility, with Mukhtar advocating for more affordable cinema experiences. “If we want to expand cinema we will have to start single screen cinemas instead of multiplexes. In these single screens you will have to charge 300 to 400 rupees per ticket so that the masses can go and watch films. Masses make or break films anywhere in the world. Masses in this country don’t have the opportunity to watch these movies because they can’t afford a 1000 rupees ticket for the cinema,” said the Anaa actor.