Kubra Khan and Goher Mumtaz to star in upcoming romance-thriller film Abhi

Cinemas are undergoing a revival ever since Covid-19 protocols have gradually been eased these past few months. There's a long line-up of Pakistani films waiting to be released on the silver screen this year and the line-up now includes romance-thriller film Abhi starring Kubra Khan and Goher Mumtaz — the teaser for which was recently released.

Khan and Mumtaz took to Instagram on March 25 to announce the upcoming release of Abhi together by sharing a video teaser. By the looks of it, the film promises a mix of thrill, espionage and romance. There's one scene in which Mumtaz runs into a snowy forest while being chased by locals. Another scene briefly shows a face-off with the military as well.

Mumtaz told Images that the story is about an "unconventional" musician whose life changes in a way he had not expected. Mumtaz penned the story for Abhi five years ago and he'd wanted to "collaborate with the best" in the industry, be it actors, directors or singers.

"Most of the scenes have been recorded. It's the first film that has been [shot in various cities across Pakistan], starting from Kashmir — Jagran, Kel, Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot — then Lahore. The action sequences [were done] in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Baluchistan and Sindh," said the singer-cum-actor.

"Working with Kubra was amazing," he said. "The kind of role we had thought about for this film was a woman who is very bubbly and modern. At the same time she is the daughter of a politician [and] she takes a stand when necessary, whether it's for her life or society in general. She's done justice to the character and this is her first solo lead in a film."

The actor revealed the film includes songs by the likes of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Tanya Wells, Aima Baig, Nish Asher and himself. Mumtaz believes the songs sung by him will be "a treat" for all Jal (the band) fans and he's pretty excited. Multi-instrumentalists Leo twins also took part in the creation of the film's music. "All the songs picturised on Kubra have been sung by Aima," he added. "There are a total of six to seven songs in the film and we are going to release a whole music album."

He also credited director Shoaib Mansoor for composing and writing a few songs in the film, including a song called 'Abh Humari Baari Hai Sir Ji'. Mansoor is also behind the theme song for Abhi.

Celebrities Sami Khan and Momina Mustehsan commented under Khan's Instagram post about Abhi and wished the team "all the very best" for their upcoming film.

In addition to Khan and Mumtaz, the film's cast includes Adnan Shah Tipu, Marhoom Ahmed Bilal, Irfan Motiwala, Zaryab haider, Qaiser Shahzad and Waseem Ali. The film is directed by Asad Malik and produced by Ali Chaudhry. The screenplay and dialogues have been written by Shoaib Rabbani and Mansoor.

The trailer will be released on Eid and will unveil the film's storyline further. A release date for the film hasn't been announced yet.