Dawn Images

Call it dumb pluck or dogged resolve, Abu Aleeha is a man who wears both as a crown.

With two films already out within the span of a month — the revenge thriller Sheenogai and the zombie-comedy Udham Patakh — and another, Javed Iqbal, set for release on January 28, the journalist-turned-filmmaker is busy churning out films as if they were magazine editions: he has one out almost every month.

Speaking exclusively to Images, Aleeha has announced details of his next endeavour, Shot Cut — his first Punjabi comedy. And not just any comedy — a situational comedy.

But why comedy, since most of his career is made-up of thrillers and horrors? Because he feels that it is the need of the time.

Shot Cut is about two people in love, who are also low-tier theatre actors who’ve never gotten the spotlight, Aleeha explains. The film sees them resuming their lives after a 20-year gap, from the age of cheap theatre to a time where social media reigns supreme.

“You can say that they were in a sort of coma,” the director explains.

“However,” he adds, “don’t expect any deep-rooted message from this film. It would be most gracious of you if you can deduce one, and I’d like to thank you for it, but the film is a mindless romp.”

Shot Cut rolls onto sets from the first of February and will wrap up its shoot before the end of the month. The film stars Gohar Rasheed, Juggun Kazim, Sana Fakhar, Naseem Vicky, Ahmed Hasan, Marhoom Ahmed Bilal, Honey Albela, Alia Khan, Nawaz Anjum, Ahmed Nawaz and Balbir Singh.

According to Aleeha, Rasheed also sings in the film — the film has a hip-hop soundtrack, he says. The two had worked together in another unreleased film titled Lockdown.

Shot Cut is produced by Javed Ahmed Kakepoto and Sufi Hashim Bin Haris. It is slated to release on — no points for guessing — Eidul Azha this year.