An Exclusive Interview On 'Janaan' With The Latest Heart Throb On The Silver Screen - Bilal Ashraf
The team has been carrying out promotions in the UK lately where top TV channels like CNN, BBC, Zee TV and top Indian Radio Channels advertised the film. In London the movie was initially set to be screened in Leicester Square, however since the space and screen wasn’t big enough so the venue was moved to Cinestar theatre. There’s a high chance of the boxing sensation, Amir Khan, to be present along with the Mayor of London, the Pakistani cricket team, a handful of Bollywood celebrities and VIPs from UK film fraternity to present the film.
(BBC World Interview)
(BBC World Interview)
(BBC World Interview)
Trailers of the film were premiered in all the Arjit Singh concerts in London, bringing more attention to the already famous film and creating an even bigger fan base. The title song of the film was sung live by Armaan Malik and the female version of the track was also sung live by another Indian singer, Shreya Ghoshal, which was a huge deal as it brought more admiration from our neighbouring country.
(A show called curry on B4u with Michellen star chef Atul Kochhar)
(Zee TV Interview)
(With Salil on B4U who for the first time had 3 Pakistani actors promoting a Pakistani film)
Bilal recalls his experience of promoting in the UK as one that baffled him when he got recognised on the streets by numerous fans most of which were, to his surprise, Indians. Adoring fans would ask for autographs and pictures with the hunk hoping for him to flash his dimpled smile.
When asked about the response he received, the heart throb was ecstatic to share that the love he got was beyond what he had ever imagined. Describing his surprise in his own words he said,
“Starting off we never thought we would make it so big but it really it has coming a long way .The response we got from all these major channels was phenomenal, they were very excited.”
Not only is Bilal thrilled about the success of the film but he’s also proud of the fact that this opportunity served as a platform for them to provide a positive outlook of Pakistan. Coming from a country which is often promoted as unsafe all over the world, it was of no surprise that people questioned him about the circumstances under which the film was made but Bilal was in patriotic spirits and fully prepared for any questions that came his way. The shooting was done mainly in Swat, even though it is seen as a war zone, this film helped clear that misconception as well.
Bilal says,
“We’ve shot in swat and shown it to the world that there are good and bad places in the world, yet swat was safe enough for us to shoot there.”
The film which has already become a huge success internationally will be screened in 15 countries. It will be premiered in Dubai and a Toronto premier is also expected. The team will be returning to Pakistan for local promotions in the coming week.
The actors hope their efforts in promoting Janaan worldwide and the positive response they received will result in opening international gateways for upcoming Pakistani films and in return expand our industry along with demolishing the stereotypical image created.
Other cast members shared their experience of working in Janaan with Ali saying,
“It’s been an extremely rewarding and enriching experience working in such a familial environment.”
While Armeena says,
“My experience of working with Janaan was beyond amazing. The experience will stay with me for the rest of my life!”
Judging by the extremely good looking cast we already knew the film would gain lots of attention but for it to become an international sensation in such a short time is astonishing. We would like to commend the director Azfar Jaffri and the writer Osman Khalid Butt on their hard work and vision and congratulate the entire team on the success of the film.
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