Huey Tum Ajnabi

BBC Urdu quoted the director as saying that the film revolves around two lovers, Zeenat and Nizam, who meet at Dhaka University while a war is raging in former East Pakistan in the beginning of the 1970s. They have to face the fundamentalists and ultra-nationalists, and have to choose between their love or the nation they belong to. ==Cast==

Development Kamran Shahid, a journalist by profession, revealed that after he was inspired with the book Dead Reckoning: Memories of the 1971 Bangladesh War by Sarmila Bose, he began writing the script in 2014. After two years of pre-production, he took self-responsibility to direct the film as well, marking his debut in this field despite being a novice. The director called its genres to be romantic movie more than a political one, based on before and after the 1971 war, so he characterized only three political figures in the film; Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and Indira Gandhi. Casting and filming In November 2016, Dawn Images reported that Sadia Khan and Mikaal Zulfiqar have signed for the lead roles in a film split between East and West Pakistan. Other actors involved were named to be Alyy Khan and Shamoon Abbasi. The project was under the working title The Trial and initially intended to be released in March 2017. An earlier report in March had also suggested the involvement of actress Resham. Later, in November 2018, Vogue India reported Ayesha Omar being a part of this film as well. Principal photography started in late-2016 and took place in Karachi and Lahore. The musical instruments, color grading techniques, and wardrobe stylings were also inspired from that era to depict the proper period. Soundtrack Reportedly, the film soundtrack consists of 11 songs by various artists. Other tracks include "Ranjhy Bina" by Abida Parveen, "Sunri Pawan" by Maria Meer, "Naina" by Naveed Nashad and Beena, "Teri Or" by Asim Azhar, rendition of "Mere Rashke Qamar" by Saima Jahan, a rendition of "Tajdar-e-Haram", etc. ==Release==

Theatrical In September 2019, Huey Tum Ajnabi was revealed to be the title. The film trailer was launched in February 2023. It was released on 22 April 2023, with another film Money Back Guarantee, and collected during the Eid al-Fitr holidays. It is produced by the Shahid Films and distributed by the Mandviwalla Entertainment. Home media In November 2024, the project was revamped and released as a 36-episode TV series by Pakistan Television Corporation, following the similar format as was of 2015 film Bin Roye and its subsequent TV series. ==Critical reception==

In a review for PakistaniCinema.net, Azadar Kazmi wrote that the shift between the "romantic track and the historical drama" is "bizarre", however, praised the VFX and war scenes. Omair Alavi compared it with the other local releases depicting the same period, including Jo Bichar Gaye (2022), Khaab Toot Jaatay Hain (2021), and Khel Khel Mein (2021), and called this as the weaker project in his review in VOA Urdu. Mohammad Kamran Jawaid of Dawn called the film's "tone and style" of being decades older from the VHS timeline, and despite he noted some issues, he called it "still manages to hold the stylistic flair of a big-screen movie". Hamid Mir of Geo News wrote that the film is good from the aspect of production, but the depiction of historical events is misheld. Hurmat Majid of Youlin Magazine said that despite "commendable performances" and "stunning cinematography", it falls short of becoming a "well-made film". ==See also==