If the 2010s is the decade of revamped Pakistani dramas then 2015 is definitely the year of Pakistani movies. From having an all-star cast to debuting new talent, Pakistani films have undoubtedly made their mark on the big screen. So much so that some are even competing with Hollywood movies (yes Hollywood!) to capture audiences at cinemas throughout the country.

After the tremendous success of Bin Roye and Wrong No, the latest addition to the film industry, Karachi Se Lahore, proudly joins the ranks of the former as a film witnessing packed houses everywhere – and for good reason. Karachi Se Lahore or as Sam – the snob in the movie – would call it ‘Karachi to Lahore’, is a two and a half hour romantic comedy that leaves not one, not two, but the entire hall literally ‘Laughing Out Loud’.

The movie although revolving around a rather mediocre storyline and falling prey to overacting –courtesy of the relatively raw acting of young Pakistani actors – conjures nonstop entertainment. The jokes cracked throughout the movie are bound to make even the toughest of critics smile if not laugh out loud.

Karachi Se Lahore is based mainly on Zaheem’s character (Shehzad Sheikh) who is in pursuit of winning back his longtime girlfriend Ayesha (Eshita Syed). As Ayesha travels to Lahore to get married, Zaheem finds himself in a dilemma of what to do with his life, inevitably giving in to his love for Ayesha and going to Lahore himself in order to stop the wedding. Hence, he along with his two best friends Sam and Moti, embark on the journey to Lahore. However, due to a cruel twist of fate, they end up seeking the help of Zaheem’s annoying neighbor Maryam (Ayesha Omar) and Zazzu, her younger brother.

What follows in their 36 hour road trip to Lahore is a series of mishaps and unfortunate events from having taken the long route to bumping into gangster feudal lords and whatnot! Things go so awry that Zaheem, already being in a troubled state of mind at the thought of losing Ashi forever, ends up picking massive fights with his childhood friends along the way. But at the end of their tiresome yet fun journey, Zaheem discovers himself and realizes his true love was never Ashi.

Although the movie never seems to get boring, but it comes at the cost of some scenes – particularly towards the ends – being so dragged that any impatient person would want to exclaim ‘move on already!’And if the dragged scenes are not bad enough, the first half of the movie is filled with an overwhelming amount of overacting that makes one rethink their decision to watch it in the first place. It goes to show how the acting, which is good generally, is still indeed a long way away from garnering international acclaim. Furthermore, Karachi Se Lahore, just like in Na Maloom Afraad and Wrong No, too has regrettably fallen prey to Bollywood tactics of introducing item songs in movies to boost the ratings, which is performed by none other than Ayesha Omar.

Whilst the movie may have cringe worthy moments, Karachi Se Lahore is definitely engaging and it is always good to see a diverse range of roles being represented in movies such as in the case of Moti (Yasir Hussain) who has done a remarkable job in not only committing fully to the part but also making audiences laugh the most with his unique one liners. Wajahat Rauf along with the entire cast and crew deliver a movie which did not employ vulgar jokes, making it a film that people want to watch with both their family and friends.

Overall, Karachi Se Lahore is definitely a must watch if one is seeking a good laugh and does not want to watch yet another Adam Sandler movie. No movie is perfect and so this too has its flaws but rest assured, it will leave one wanting to take a road trip with their loved ones themselves.

Rating: 3.5/5