5 fascinating things we learned about Yalghaar at its trailer launch

After over three years in the making, Yalghaar is finally set to release.

Dr Hassan Waqas Rana launched the much awaited war epic's trailer yesterday, where he introduced the cast and crew and everyone else who made the film possible.

"It's an emotional moment for me," said the director about presenting the trailer and wrapping up Yalghaar.

Rana talked extensively about the film, revealing some interesting facts about its production.

1) The film is a dedication to Pakistan's martyrs

Yalghaar is a film about the soldiers who have given their life in defending Pakistan. For Rana, it was a subject close to his heart.

"I needed to get those stories out," said Rana at the trailer launch. "I want to go to the front and stand where the soldiers stand and feel what they feel. We read [about] it in the news everyday, this many dead in this incident. But who are these people?"

Rana's desire to pay cinematic tribute to the fallen comes from his own experience of losing a loved one to war.

"I've laid sons of this country into their graves. One of them was my very good friend. I remember, when he was being lowered into his grave, I saw his father look at him. He was smiling. It felt so bizarre. I took the flag to his mother, and I was on the verge of breaking down. She put her hand on my head and said, 'Beta, why are you upset? My son is alive, he will live on.' That is what inspires me."

"That is why I took three years to make this film," he added. "Because I do not, under any circumstances, want to do disservice to the young jawaan who stands on the wall, fights for us, and then we tell him 'Issi cheez ki tou tankha milti hai tumhai' (This is what you're paid for)'."

2) Armeena Khan refused to be paid for the film

Rana revealed the origins of Armeena Khan working for him and we are touched!

Says Rana, "I wanted a fresh face to play the role of the fiance. One day Bilal Ashraf came to me and said, 'There's this girl, I don't like her as such but I think she can act well and she fits the profile.' I then had a meeting with Armeena on Skype."

Rana approved of Armeena and she was immediately on board. But what the director didn't expect is that the Janaan actor would be so touched by his film's concept that she'd insist on working in it for free.

"After telling her about the film I asked her how much would she charge for working in this film. She said she couldn't take payment for working in this film. She said, 'Just pay for my transport and food and that's about it. But if I have to play this role, it can not be for money. Money can not come into this. Because if you pay me I won't be able to do justice to this. This isn't work for me, it's an honour to do this role.'"

3) The stunts... they're all real!

Rana has really upped the realism of the film by having his actors do all the stunts themselves.

"I wanted to have a cast who I'd inform that there will be real guns, with real bullets, which they'd use coming out of real helicopters, and I'd be in front of them with cameras and they'd fire. I had Bilal Ashraf and other cast members spend around seven and a half months with the special forces, the SSD, to be trained for all the stunts and actions."

"I wanted to show a sky-diving scene and I was advised to make that scene in the set but I didn't want to lie to my audience. I wanted to capture the glory of the time when you jump way above 2000ft to the time that you open your parachute. That moment when you know, these are the last moments of your life, because this parachute might not open. It was a seven-second shot, which we shot seven times."

4) Dr Hassan Waqas Rana believed in Humayun Saeed when even the actor had doubts

The Waar director "wanted the best of the best" when it came to the cast and one of his main concerns was the villain.

According to Rana, "The brilliance in this film is not the hero but the villain. The villain is not an extremist... He is that human who just watches as horrible things happens. He is that person who looks on with pity but actually has no value for a human life. That being that is within us."

With this thought, Rana decided to undertake the task and have a certain star venture out of his comfort zone; Humayun Saeed.

"I wanted a good guy to play it. When I asked [Humayun Saeed] to do this role, he was surprised, as it was something unexpected and he actually wondered if he could do it."

Rana was certain of Saeed's potential, we sense a fanboy here!

"He asked me why I wanted him and my answer [was and] is that if I could choose any actor from all over the world, I'd cast Humayun Saeed any day."

He added about his acting, "Humayun's acting is like a beautiful souffle made by a French cook on a beautiful summer evening."

5) The budget for the wardrobe was over 90 lakh

Oh, did we mention that 90 lakh budget was only for the women's wardrobe?

"Sania Maskatiya offered to support us. All the women's clothing in this film is by them. They made clothes for around 90 lakh just for this film. They made special dresses for my female cast. I stopped caring for the guns and was more concerned about those clothes!"

For the men, Rana got another person on board who'd soon become a close friend.

"For the men, who weren't always shown in uniform. Hassan Sheheryar Yasin (HSY) helped me out. Shero came to my rescue and became a very dear friend. He went deep into the characters for every single outfit and that input really helped me. I owe him for that."