''Arth – The Destination'' is a 2017 Pakistani romantic drama film, written, directed and co-produced by

Shaan Shahid Armaghan Shahid PP ( ur, ; born 27 April 1971), better known by his stage names Shaan Shahid ( ur, ) or Shaan, is a Pakistani actor, producer, model, writer and director. Shaan has established himself as one of the most popular leading acto ...

under his banner 5th Element. It stars Shahid as Ali, a struggling musician, with

Humaima Malick Humaima Malick (born 18 November 1987) is a Pakistani actress who works in Cinema of Pakistan, Pakistani films and serials. She is known for ''Ishq Junoon Deewangi'' as Pares Usmani and social-drama ''Bol (film), Bol'' in 2011. Personal life M ...

Mohib Mirza Mohib Mirza ( ur, ) (born 18 August 1979) is a Pakistani actor, director, television host and comedian. He is known for his work in film and television industry of Pakistan for which he has been nominated for various awards. Career Mirza st ...

and Uzma Hassan in lead roles. It is a Pakistani remake based on Mahesh Bhatt's 1982 film ''

Arth Arth is a village, a town, and a municipality in Schwyz District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The municipality consists of the villages Arth, Oberarth, and Goldau. The four settlements Rigi Kulm, Rigi First, Rigi Klösterli, an ...

''.

Pre-production Pre-production is the process of planning some of the elements involved in a film, television show, play, or other performance, as distinct from production and post-production. Pre-production ends when the planning ends and the content start ...

began in August 2013 when the film was announced by Shahid.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

began in December 2015 in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

and concluded in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in October 2016.

Film music A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

has been given by

Sahir Ali Bagga Sahir Ali Bagga (born 10 April 1980) is a Pakistani singer, music director and composer from Lahore, who composes music for Lollywood and other independent singers.Post-production took place in Pinewood Studios. The film released worldwide on 22 December 2017, under the co-production of Faraz Chaudhry's Cinestar and film distributor Hammad Chaudhry's HKC Entertainment.

Plot

Ali, a struggling musician, comes back to Pakistan from London to continue his music work as he is not getting a good work there. When he comes to his hometown, he meets Uzma, a writer, whose marriage with her husband Umer, a film director, is in turmoil because of an up-and-coming actress.

Cast

as Ali; a singer * Uzma Hassan as Uzma; a writer by day, and a keen fan of Ali *

as Umaima; a film star *

as Umar; a filmmaker *Imran Momina; Ali's close friend *

Yasir Hussain Yasir Hussain ( ur, ) is a Pakistani screenwriter, actor, playwright and host from Islamabad best known for his comic roles. He hosted '' The After Moon Show'' on Hum TV. He is also known for playing the antagonist in the 2018 social drama '' ...

(cameo appearance) *

Ali Azmat Ali Azmat Butt (born 20 April 1970) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He is best known as the lead singer for the influential Sufi Rock band Junoon and for his subsequent solo career. In 2001, he became part of the first ...

(cameo appearance) *

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (Punjabi, ; born 9 December 1974) is a Pakistani Singer, primarily of Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music. Khan is one of the biggest and highest paid singers in Pakistan. He is the nephew of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ...

(special appearance)

Production

Development

Shaan Shahid revealed in August 2013 to ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

'' that when Mahesh Bhatt called him to remake ''Arth'' in Pakistani version, he was excited. "The movie will be made in an Urdu version and it's going to a multi level movie with actors from both the countries", he said. Hammad Chaudhry; film distributor and co-producer said, "''Arth 2'' is a contemporary take on relationships in modern Pakistan but the essence of the original is intact," adding that Bhatt has "also come on board as mentor." Co-producer Ali Murtaza said to HIP, "We've packaged the old characters f original ''Arth''in a fresh screenplay with a new plot". Shahid said to '' Pakistan Today'', "As a writer, for me, it was challenging to take that film out of a condensed art form, add flavour to it and make it into something new". Bhatt said to ''

DAWN Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's hori ...

'' that it was the film he started his career with. He commented that Shahid "has complete freedom to reinterpret it however he wishes" and "I am very keen to see" it. Shahid too shared, "I offered him money to buy the rights but he said he doesn't want it." He told that Bhatt said to him, "Just give me credit and make it a symbol of Indo-Pak friendship." An MoU was signed between

ARY Films ARY Films ( ur, ) is a film distribution and production company in Pakistan, part of ARY Digital Network. 35 films including 11 Urdu, six Punjabi and 17 Pashto films have been released by ARY Films since 2013. Among them, '' Waar'', '' Jawani P ...

and

Riaz Shahid Riaz Shahid (1927 – 1 October 1972) was a Pakistani filmmaker, film writer, and a journalist. Early life and career Riaz Shahid was born in 1927 in Quetta, British India. He belonged to a Kashmiris in Punjab, Punjabi Kashmiri family. He ...

Films on 23 November 2013 for 5 films. It also included ''Arth 2'', however, ARY Films withdrew their support. Shaan Shahid then clarified later in December 2017 interview with

Samaa TV Samaa TV ( ur, سماء) is a Pakistani Urdu language news channel owned by Aleem Khan. It is the fourth-largest news channel in Pakistan with a market share of 7 percent. The word 'Samaa' ("سما") is Urdu for 'sky' or 'heaven'. It is broadca ...

that he believes "such an act limits the scope of the film" that's why he didn't go to media houses.

Casting

Humaima Malick's name was also revealed as the film was announced. The cast of film was announced in May 2014, it includes Uzma Hassan. Earlier

Humayun Saeed Humayun Saeed Ansari (born 27 July 1971), professionally known as Humayun Saeed, is a Pakistani actor and producer. He has appeared in dozens of Pakistani television dramas and limited number of films, and earned Lux Style Awards, and ARY Fil ...

was cast, but due to ARY Films left, Mohib Mirza replaced him later in December 2015. In an interview to Samaa TV, Malick told that when ''Arth 2'' was offered to her, she was busy in "''

Raja Natwarlal ''Raja Natwarlal'' is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language crime thriller film directed by Kunal Deshmukh and produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur under UTV Motion Pictures. The film features Emraan Hashmi in the title role, alongside Humaima Malik, Pares ...

'' and '' Dekh Magar Pyaar Say''". She said that the director told her, "this character was written for me" and "said that if I didn't do it, he will not do it." Mirza told that as the "director had his own vision and nuances set for the character," so he tried to "conceive and portray an already established role" and delivered in his own blended way.

Filming

Filming began on 1 December 2015 in Lahore on an occasion where director celebrated his 25 years working in Pakistani cinema. The actress

Neelo Neelo Begum (born Cynthia Alexander Fernandes; ''née'' Abida Riaz; 30 June 1941 – 30 January 2021) was a Pakistani veteran film actress. She made her film debut in 1956 with Hollywood film ''Bhowani Junction''. She was known as ''The Qu ...

performed film slate's fist clap. Parts were also filmed in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. Final leg of filming took place in London from August 2016; and wrapped up in October. Muaz Iqbal has served as film's cinematographer in Pakistan, and Tim wood in Bristol and Scotland. Shaan Shahid confirmed to HIP that ''Arth 2'' and '' Zarrar'' will be the first two Pakistani films to have their post-production in a British film studio; Pinewood Studios, London. The editing and grading stage started in August 2016. It took more than two years to complete the whole production. He said, "Films should not be part of the politics; the intellectual elite of both ndia and Pakistanshouldn't be part of this mayhem".

Promotion

The film cast teamed up with the

UN Women The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, is a United Nations entity working for gender equality and the empowerment of women. UN Women advocates for the rights of women and girls, and foc ...

and launch a campaign #EndViolenceAgainstWomen, because the film plot also revolves around multiple social issues including gender equality and the empowerment of women. Shahid said to '' The News on Sunday'', "I feel the tagline 'Decisions determine destiny' is what the film stands for. It is about the power of a single woman."

Soundtrack

The soundtrack and score for the film has been given by

Sahir Ali Bagga Sahir Ali Bagga (born 10 April 1980) is a Pakistani singer, music director and composer from Lahore, who composes music for Lollywood and other independent singers.

Release

After four official teasers, which introduced the characters of the film to the audience; the film's trailer released on 20 October 2017. The film had a limited release in Pakistan on 21 December 2017, a day before its worldwide release on 22 December.

Critical reception

The film had a premiere event the same day of its release in Lahore. It failed to impress most of the critics and audience. For

Dunya News Dunya News is a 24 hours Urdu language news and current affairs television channel from Pakistan. It is governed and operated by the National Communication Services (NCS) Pvt. Ltd. Its head office is situated at Lahore. Dunya News was founded and ...

, Maleeha Mengal praised the music but commented that the film "might soon be forgotten, without a perfect destination but for perfectly logical reasons." Tehreem Azeem praised Uzma Hassan, but criticized its bold scenes and dialogues and said that she would had a remote to forward the film. Mahwash Ajaz rated 3 out of 5 stars and praised the film, while she too criticized some of its bold scenes. Dr Tooba Nawaz referred to the film as "masala movie" and too praised Uzma Hassan and film music. For ''

The Express Tribune ''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English language, English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the ''Daily Express (Urdu newspaper), Daily Express'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliat ...

'', Rahul Aijaz too praised the music and Hassan, but rated only 1.5 stars out of 5, saying "There is little entertainment and the message is clouded by amateurish technical errors". Syeda Fizza Hasan Rizvi rated 4 out of 5 stars and praised it, "the movie itself is one emotional rollercoaster ride where you will feel everything". Shahjehan Saleem of ''Something Haute'' rated it 3 stars out of 5 and said that the film "is far from a failure, but also far from perfection", adding, "Despite its shortcomings, the film's strong cast manages" to "veer it towards success." A reviewer from HIP said, "The look of the film is great, but the emotional connect is lacking apart from except probably assan …However, this film has stretched boundaries for the industry that is for sure." Ayesha Amin of ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper t ...

'' praised the visual effects and music, but said, "The storyline was not well-defined ��The movie could have been simpler and better, instead of being so dramatic." Manal Faheem Khan of ''

The News International ''The News International'', published in broadsheet size, is one of the largest English language newspapers in Pakistan. It is published daily from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/Islamabad. An overseas edition is published from London that cater ...

'' said, "It's dramatic, has an urban flavour, an impressive star cast, is engaging and moves fast. But it's still a badly made film." Yusra Jabeen of ''

DAWN Images ''Dawn'' is a Pakistani English language, English-language newspaper that was launched in British Raj, British India in 1941. It is the largest English newspaper in Pakistan, and also serves as the country's newspaper of record. ''Dawn'' is the ...

'' praised only Hassan as "the only thing good about ''Arth 2''", while she said that the film was "an absolute disservice" to the "original 1982 classic", as the "basic concept" was "completely let one. Khurram Sohail of

Dawn News Dawn News is one of Pakistan's 24-hour Urdu news channel. Based in Karachi, the station is a subsidiary of Pakistan Herald Publications Limited (PHPL), Pakistan's largest English-language media group. The test transmission of the station occ ...

praised the storytelling, but said that the music could be the only reason to fail the box office numbers. Dr Dushka H Saiyid of ''Youlin Magazine'' said, "It is a film with an interesting storyline and good acting, but the screenplay and directing leave room for improvement." Maman Hussain of '' Daily Times'' commented, "Despite strong performances by all four characters, the film lacked expertise on technical grounds", adding that it "is bound to be the success it is truly meant for". Saneela Jawad of '' Pakistan Today'' rated 3.5 out of 5 stars and praised it, giving verdict that it "isn't a flawed movie; one wouldn't call it a complete fail, but wouldn't categorize as a perfect movie either." Momin Ali Munshi of Galaxy Lollywood said that it "is not a perfect film," but he praised the acting, music and dialogues. Meshal Ashraf Cheema of '' Daily Pakistan'' too praised its cast and music and said, "This film should be named as 'Shaan's Film'", while she criticized its camera work. Omair Alavi praised the music, but rated 2 out of 5 stars and wrote to ''MAG The Weekly'', "Most of the things about ''Arth'' were wrong even before the film hit the screens."

Accolades

References

External links

* * * {{Shaan Shahid Pakistani romantic drama films 2017 films 2017 romantic drama films Pakistani remakes of Indian films Films scored by Sahir Ali Bagga Films directed by Shaan Shahid Pakistani sequel films