Review: Mehrunisa V Lub U is an Eid film the whole family can't watch together

Yasir Nawaz's film Mehrunisa V Lub U had its premiere last night and I'm still trying to make sense of what happened.

Danish Taimoor plays Ali, a young man who returns to Karachi after spending three years in China and immediately decides to marry his childhood love, Mehrunisa (Sana Javed), who lives in northern Pakistan. A rushed wedding later, Ali brings Mehrunisa back to Karachi so that the rest of the film can take off.

Mehrunisa, or Mehru as she's called, is so used to the pristine mountains she's previously lived in that she just can't 'adjust' to life in Karachi. She finds her mohalla painfully dirty and crowded and becomes depressed. Ali realises that life in the neighborhood has in fact become too disorganised and that he must change it if he wants to hang on to Mehru and start a family. He persuades his mohalla to clean up its act.

Meanwhile, a corrupt politician is attempting to get the residents of the area to sell their homes to him so he can profit off the area. Drama ensues.

This might seem like a plot that's simple and sweet enough for a fun family-oriented Eid film. But is it really?

Here's what you should know before you head to the cinema.

1) Mehrunisa is barely a character

The film is wrapping up, whatever tears have to be shed are being shed, whatever love has to be fanned has been found. That's cool. But at the film's close, did I expect the director of the film to step out from the crowd, break the fourth wall and make sure to explain the lessons to me himself?

Oh yes, that's the twist right there.

Just like Captain Planet telling you "The power is yours!" at the end of every episode, Yasir Nawaz gives a speech about how we are in charge of fixing our city and the conditions and we should strive for a better country.

That is all well and good. But did this have to be said here? And like this?

Mehrunisa V Lub U seemed to have really good intentions but I feel its the execution that let it down. I doubt there's anyone who'll disagree with the claim that its not the place that is bad but people, but perhaps with a better script and direction, the concept could have been highlighted better.