Images

Review: Men and women can't be friends, and other lessons Ho Mann Jahaan teaches us

Review: Men and women can't be friends, and other lessons Ho Mann Jahaan teaches us

Ho Mann Jahaan is a happily glossy coming of age drama that tells you everything is going to be alright
Updated 05 Jan, 2016

There's no escaping Ho Mann Jahaan — posters bearing the faces of stars Mahira Khan, Sheheryar Munawar, Adeel Husain and Sonya Jehan dominate every nook and cranny of Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and beyond, reminding us something big is in the offing.

It might be accidental, but the pervasiveness of Ho Mann Jahaan's promos hints at the kind of world the film will try to sell to us: one where familial unpleasantness is quickly glossed over and messy, real-world problems like classism and sexual jealousy gently recede into the background. Much like a glitzy hoarding covers up the decrepit building it's hung on, Ho Mann Jahaan soothes our overwrought nerves and is an escapist's fantasy come to life.

Is that a problem? In theory, no — a single film, that too one dubbed a mainstream romantic drama, shouldn't have to bear the burden of exposing our every grievance. But in practice, if you're heavy-handed with feel-good fairy dust, your film risks appearing hollow.

Ho Mann Jahaan walks a fine line between these two positions.

What it's all about

Three friends Nadir, Manizeh and Arhan want to form a band and make it big.
Three friends Nadir, Manizeh and Arhan want to form a band and make it big.

Ho Mann Jahaan follows the lives of three young people, Manizeh (Mahira Khan), Nadir (Adeel Husain) and Arhan (Sheheryar Munwar), as they graduate from college and try to find their way in the 'real world.' The three friends are musicians who've decided to form a band post-graduation.

Their family lives are fully fleshed out: Manizeh is a child of divorce and lives with her eccentric, bubbly artist mother (played by Nimra Bucha), Nadir is a rich kid with a heart of gold who lives with overbearing parents (played by Bushra Ansari and Arshad Mehmud) and Arhan is from the wrong side of the tracks (i.e. he lives 'across the bridge' in Saddar, Kharadar or similar) and can't wait to escape his demanding father and humble background.

SPOILER ALERT

Manizeh, Nadir and Arhan spend all their time together and are true chums.

Ho Mann Jahaan's first half devotes itself to lionising their friendship, which appears bulletproof even as Nadir and Manizeh inexplicably pair up and get engaged, leaving Sheheryar to sportingly engage in what I can only describe as extreme third-wheeling.

Trouble comes in the form of Nadir's overprotective mother, who decides Arhan is a good-for-nothing social climber intent on using her poor son for money and connections and Manizeh is, well, the daughter of an artist and therefore not marriage material.


Manizeh, Nadir and Arhan are true chums... at least, until Nadir and Manizeh inexplicably pair up and get engaged, leaving Sheheryar to sportingly engage in what I can only describe as extreme third-wheeling.


At the same time Arhan, frustrated by his father's constant taanas and desperate to rise above his circumstances, walks out of his home and has to be taken in by either Manizeh or Nadir.

Neither option is viable (see overprotective mother, above), so Arhan takes a job playing guitar at a local eatery owned by Sabina (played by Sonya Jehan), an elegant, alluring older woman who's also just lonely enough to offer him the use of her guest room.

The trio wants to pursue their musical agenda but Nadir's parents insist he choose between marrying Manizeh and being a drummer. So Nadir chooses Manizeh (unbeknownst to her, of course) and gives up his passion to slave away as a corporate drone. In the process, he alienates his wife-to-be and his best friend Arhan, who, it must be said, has started acting like an entitled brat.

The friends are tugged apart by competing loyalties to family, friendship and career and their own burgeoning egos. Will they ever be able to see eye to eye again?

A cast well selected

Are all friend-groups this uniformly attractive? We can only hope!
Are all friend-groups this uniformly attractive? We can only hope!

As its plot suggests, Ho Mann Jahaan is contained within a world of family gatherings, friendly jam sessions and the occasional chai dhaba. It's poles apart from the grit depicted in a film like Jami's Moor or Adnan Sarwar's Shah.

The cast acts accordingly, and within the narrow confines of this happy-go-lucky existence each actor manages his or her character well.

Sheheryar Munawar's performance as Arhan really stands out. Utterly believable as the angsty, rough-around-the-edges home boy with a sense of humour, Sheheryar makes the role his own. Arhan is arguably Ho Mann Jahaan's pivotal character and Sheheryar does him justice with authentic emotion. In a previous interview, the actor said Adeel Husain was initially meant to play Arhan; I'm glad that decision was reversed because I just can't see serious, stoic Adeel playing Arhan.


Sonya Jehan as the cool older woman is a breath of fresh air. She proves sex appeal is timeless.


Adeel Husain as Nadir is competent but predictable; perhaps this owes more to the role (quintessential tortured acha bacha) than to Adeel's acting prowess.

Mahira Khan as Manizeh is a bit of an enigma. Not too far removed from roles she's played before, Mahira's Manizeh is an essentially 'good' character who reacts to situations rather than being their catalyst. This unsullied 'goodness' is evident in her romance with Nadir which is utterly devoid of chemistry. I mean it: even a parked car has more spark than Nadir-Manizeh in love. I was pretty surprised when Manizeh accepted Nadir's marriage proposal; up until she said yes I thought she'd placed Nadir firmly in the friend zone. I thought Manizeh had more zsa zsa zu with Arhan, and I was not-so-secretly rooting for them as a couple.

Mahira looks great onscreen — she has a certain magnetism and obviously, the camera loves her. And she's convincing as the good girl. But I have to wonder whether she isn't selling herself short by playing Pakistan's sweetheart in an endless loop.

We're on team Sabina-Arhan!
We're on team Sabina-Arhan!

Sonya Jehan as the cool older woman is a breath of fresh air. She proves sex appeal is timeless. Her character Sabina has an easy, believable connection with Arhan. This is another couple I was rooting for.

Ho Mann Jahaan's supporting cast is excellent and the cameos are a delight. To all you Fawad Khan fans out there: he makes a brief appearance as Sonya's friend Raphael, a dapper, established musician/actor. Especially fun is Hamza Ali Abbasi's turn as a faqir — you'll have to look closely as he's almost unrecognisable!

Social commentary is hit and miss

Does everybody have to fall in love?
Does everybody have to fall in love?

Though Ho Mann Jahaan isn't super ambitious in terms of driving home a hard-hitting social message, it does reference several social issues that shape our everyday lives.

A dominant theme is Pakistani society's deeply entrenched classism, evident in how Nadir's mother looks down on Arhan for his lesser socio-economic status.

However, what I thought was interesting is that the film correctly illustrates that in today's Pakistan, pursuing and succeeding in an artistic career (no matter whether it's music, acting or art) allows for social mobility.


The film correctly illustrates that in today's Pakistan, pursuing and succeeding in an artistic career allows for social mobility: that platforms like Coke Studio and local films can lift a talented young person clean out of humble circumstances and move them towards something like stardom.


No longer are musicians relegated to the back of a shaadi hall — in a self-referential move, Ho Mann Jahaan makes clear that platforms like Coke Studio and local films can lift a talented young person clean out of humble circumstances and move them towards something like stardom and subsequent social 'acceptance'. By the end of Ho Mann Jahaan it's clear that Arhan, if he continues to succeed in music, will soon become Nadir's equal.

And that's very refreshing to see onscreen.

A more disappointing message from the film is its reinforcement of the all-too-common perception that men and women can't be 'just friends'.

It's frustrating to see this played out yet again on the big screen: the idea that perfectly reasonable men and women may meet, trade ideas and ambitions, have independent hopes and dreams, and yet still not be able to escape 'falling in love.'


A more disappointing message from the film is its reinforcement of the all-too-common perception that men and women can't be 'just friends'. It fuels the oppressive, suspicious attitudes of parents who refuse to send their girls and boys to school/college/co-ed hanging sessions because they're wary of gasp 'pyaar.'


I wouldn't have minded much if only Nadir and Manizeh fell in love, but (spoiler alert!) unfortunately, by the end of the movie Arhan is in love with Manizeh too.

There's something quite icky about this love-triangle, and not just because it fuels the oppressive, suspicious attitudes of parents who refuse to send their girls and boys to school/college/co-ed hanging sessions because they're wary of gasp 'pyaar.'

To all filmmakers out there, I'd like to say: relax with the whole love angle. Friendship/camaraderie between men and women based on an intellectual connection can and does exist and it's regressive to definitively say otherwise.

High -gloss finish

Everything is bright and happy in the Ho Mann Jahaan universe.
Everything is bright and happy in the Ho Mann Jahaan universe.

Asim Raza's direction mirrors the cozy, insulated bubble of Ho Mann Jahaan's universe.

All bright colours, sharp edges and clean, crisp shots, Ho Mann Jahaan lacks what I can only describe as atmosphere. If you can get past that, the overall effect is pleasing: everything glows, even Karachi.

However, the film's music sequences could've been integrated more effectively. To have the main characters plucked out of Karachi and placed smack in the middle of Chitral as a one-off for a single song is jarring. The film's opening number which situates Manizeh, Nadir and Arhan at college during a water fight works much better.

The final verdict

I would've felt more enthusiastic about Ho Mann Jahaan if, by the film's end, it hadn't devolved into TV drama-level cheesiness.

Unfortunately, it does. I won't give too much away but I will tell you that one character winds up in the hospital, someone dies, many tears are shed, much drama ensues.


Our predilection for grand displays of emotion is a consequence of an underdeveloped film industry — we simply don't have the courage, experience or faith in our audience to believe subtlety can get a point across.


I can't fully blame Ho Mann Jahaan's team for this. Our predilection for grand displays of emotion is a consequence of an underdeveloped film industry — we simply don't have the courage, experience or faith in our audience to believe subtlety can get a point across. The problem is also one of numbers: with so few films in production one can understand a team's impulse to pack several plot twists and messages into a single venture.

On the whole, though, I enjoyed Ho Mann Jahaan. It lives up to its billing, that is, family entertainment. The young cast is endearing, funny and gloriously handsome.

And hey — so what if it glosses over most of life's unpleasantness? As Sheheryar's character Arhan points out at a crucial juncture, "In this country people never rejoice at someone else's success." This is very true, so in closing I'll say only this:

Ho Mann Jahaan succeeds in it's aim to entertain, and I'm happy for everyone involved. Go watch the film, you'll like it.

Comments

jimmyali Jan 01, 2016 02:31pm
hit hit hit hit hit loved it
Recommend
shereen Jan 01, 2016 03:08pm
So many spoilers for me :( why did I click on it.
Recommend
Dr KAS Jan 01, 2016 03:18pm
Cool piece. Thanks. You also saved me 500 rupees and few precious hours!
Recommend
Spoiler Jan 01, 2016 03:54pm
What else there is to be given out, you have almost revealed the plot......
Recommend
Yusafzai Jan 01, 2016 03:55pm
Nice review
Recommend
Alexey Jan 01, 2016 04:30pm
Please stop with these TV-movies! And there are other genres too!
Recommend
SARMAD KHARAL Jan 01, 2016 04:36pm
Love for Pakistan and HOON MAAN JAHAAN
Recommend
Trollslayer Jan 01, 2016 06:01pm
When will IndoPak learn to produce real movies with substance and social commentary like Iranian cinema and perhaps win an Oscar.
Recommend
nurul huda Jan 01, 2016 06:03pm
This maheera khan is media made star. saba qamar is more beautiful and talented than this over-rated actor. wish saba qamar is in raees instead of this media hype actor. srk, save raees otherwise your leading lady is too boring..
Recommend
SA Chandio Jan 01, 2016 06:55pm
I'm about to watch this movie this evening in north Bergen county, nj , about 29 family and friends heading that way .
Recommend
Mohammad Akram Jan 01, 2016 07:31pm
Beautifully explained and its going to be block buster
Recommend
Mohammad Akram Jan 01, 2016 07:33pm
@nurul huda You can compare a woman but you are wrong there is no one like or better looking the Mahira Man Her acting is best
Recommend
Another fan Jan 01, 2016 08:55pm
Saw this today. Very relatable, strikes an emotional chord with the audience, offers much to think about and the acting, cameos and production values are stellar....... BUT The film needed a more rebellious ending (SPOILER ALERT): Mahira need not to have settled for an insecure and indecisive Adeel. Plot needed more of a connect with the music-career arc of the trio with actual situations. Dialogue is majorly verbose, especially Bushra Ansari....Urdu sounds brilliant but a major edit of the script was on call. The script writer of Karachi Se Lahore can be done without, the guy makes every production sound like an overly verbose stage play!
Recommend
Faisal Jan 01, 2016 10:44pm
One of the best movies I have watched. Superb acting, mind blowing script, wonderful direction and amazing music. A must watch for everyone 5/5.
Recommend
Siri Jan 01, 2016 11:05pm
Hamna, as always, beautiful piece of writing. I think the reemergence of the Pakistani film industry needs some good will as well from us folks. After all we watch so much crap from cross the border which budget and recourses are totally asymmetric to ours. Ho Mann Jahaan sounds great, I and my entire khandaan will watch it now!
Recommend
AH Jan 02, 2016 01:40am
Great review! I agree with you on the male-female friendship point. Our media persistently fails to portray mixed gender friendships without the inevitable falling-in-love bit, a trend that needs to end soon. I wish you had revealed the end here. After reading so many hints I'm kinda intrigued, but not enough to go watch it. Will definitely be asking someone to spoil it for me!
Recommend
appkhi@gmail.com Jan 02, 2016 04:45am
I like the review ,,, after a long time I watch Pakistani movie and I like it....
Recommend
Qasim Jan 02, 2016 06:18am
Just came home from cinema in Norway after watching this one. It´s a cool movie, giving us some real issues to think about in our lives. A very different movie - I hope it will succeed.
Recommend
dr j tipu Jan 02, 2016 06:53am
Just returned from watching a nearly packed show in Birmingham. A rather pleasant film with a well balanced cast, each artist adding to the script, crisp acting, and lovely blend of folk, jazz, rock music. What is not to like! It proves a simple story presented with precision can strike the right chords with the audience. Congratulations team Ho Mann Jahan! You did it well guys!
Recommend
Zak Jan 02, 2016 08:22am
Pakistan film industry is picking up fast. Because of its sincereity in purpose, it will exceed other competitors. Other nationals already watch our dramas. In UAE, Indians thronged to see 'Bin Roy'. Give the pakistan film industry some time, then see it's phenomenal success.
Recommend
Khawar Jan 02, 2016 08:31am
talk about spoiler alerts. people need a REVIEW not the actual story
Recommend
Umer Qureshi Jan 02, 2016 06:33pm
Too many spoilers. But a nice review. The way our movie industry will take time to mature our critics also are in infancy stage. But i found this review pretty good.
Recommend
Hassan Jan 02, 2016 07:20pm
Movie looks good but the story is like a typical tv drama.
Recommend
jyotsana Jan 03, 2016 11:11am
such movies will do well for sometime as pakistanis would like to see their own, later when the industry is more established, only the real good ones will do business
Recommend
Umair Malik Jan 03, 2016 12:01pm
i feel very good to see that all of my favorite actresses and actress are in one screen . realy enjoy.........................
Recommend
MS_Mian Jan 03, 2016 03:21pm
A poorly scripted film in which different concepts of Sub-continent film stuff are adjusted. Munezeh's father tells her that the music was against teachings of Islam..... that's it! no further explanation in the movie on this aspect. One would take it or negate it? Arhan is shown as crafting things as a selfish but at the end everything is hunky dory. I think we do have some sensible writers, why not to get a good script?!
Recommend
Sabina Kazmi Jan 03, 2016 03:49pm
Saw this film at the Mercardo AMC theater in the Silicon Valley in the south bay California It played to a pack full house and the surprise was many were Indians who loved the beautiful cast, the music. I heard comments from Indians like ..."wow yaar with such limited resources Pakistan film industry is really producing quality, unlike Bollywood they do not have the infrastructure of film institute, technical studios, investment or marketing & distribution but against these odds they are slowly emerging as a film industry to watch. Great job to the makers of this film we American Pakistanis may be bigger fans if you cintinue to entertain us!
Recommend
Rashid Jan 03, 2016 04:35pm
Watched the film today, and it is a fabulous effort by Asim Raza. A film based on the generation gap, following your dreams, inter woven with many other social dichotomies . All the artists looked pretty and energetic on screen. The role of Sonya Jehan seems was though impacted by the cuts made on the editing board.
Recommend
Iztraab Jan 03, 2016 11:12pm
I am in US and I watched this movie last night in cinema. It's little slow but quite honestly I enjoyed it. Few scenes and characters shouldn't have been added to the movie to make it little short. Another thing which I didn't like where religion was unnecessarily dragged into the storyline for no reason. Overall, movie was good with no item songs and cheap dialogues (one of the reason I went to watch this movie ). All main characters acted really well.
Recommend
shary Jan 07, 2016 05:38pm
Drama has always been a highlight of Pakistani television, wherever in the world people understand Urdu they love pakistani drama.. there is no harm in making drama like movies the whole point is getting good entertainment.. we should build our film industry based on our strong point, which is drama indeed.
Recommend