I had the opportunity to watch “Taxali Gate” during its opening weekend and initially, I expected low audience occupancy for the 7 PM showing, especially with the Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches being a popular choice among viewers, whether they’re watching at home, in parks, or through special screenings at cinemas. However, to my surprise, a large number of people turned up at the Taj Mahal Multiplex Cinema in Faisalabad, solely to watch the newly released film “Taxali Gate”.
Taxali Gate started at approximately 50-60% occupancy and that was an overwhelming surprise for me considering ongoing PSL Matches.
The most impactful scene of Taxali Gate:
Before delving into the technical and production aspects of the film, want to highlight a scene and monologue that particularly struck me and caught me off guard was the conversation between Ayesha Omar and Mehar Banu. Witnessing Ayesha Omar’s transformation from Bulbulay’s Chulbuli girl into perfectly embodying her character in “Taxali Gate,” as Sex Worker was truly remarkable. Moreover, Mehar Banu’s vibrant performance left me wondering why she hadn’t been cast in such a dynamic role before.
In the movie, Ayesha Omar portrays Muskan, who works as a sex worker, and Mehar Banu, who goes by the name Zainab, is the offspring of a concubine (Kanjar Family) fathered by actor Nayyer Ejaz. The overall presence in that scene between Muskan (Ayesha Omar) and Zainab (Mehar Bano) impresses me.
Ayesha Omar’s Monologue:
In the Pre-Climax scene, Muskan (Ayesha Omar) is seated on a Cot (Charpai) with a cup of tea in hand, talking to Zainab (Meher Bano). Muskan narrates the story of her early life, explaining that she lost her father at the age of 3. Following this, her mother took her to Lahore’s Data Sahib, where they eventually began to engage in sex work in Taxali Gate. After her mother passed away, Muskan took over her mother’s role as a Sex Worker at Taxali Gate.
She describes the cruelty and barbarism of society, with her tears falling and her frustration palpable in the dialogues. The entire scene is startling, primarily due to Ayesha Umar’s performance. It didn’t feel like we were watching Ayesha Umar; instead, it felt as though she truly embodied Muskan, a sex worker from Taxali Gate, with the character’s experiences deeply etched into her portrayal.
Afterward, Ayesha Umar passes the cup to Meher Bano, who then departs. Following this, a particularly startling scene unfolds as Ayesha Umar turns to her right and spits, prompting the camera to pull back while the music intensifies, the dead body of the assailant, who had raped Meher Bano, is revealed at Ayesha Umar’s feet as he (Sheheryar Cheema) has been killed by Ayesha Omar.
Despite having just taken a life, Ayesha’s casual mannerisms and the way she sips tea and engages in conversation was phenomenal. As she spits and the camera retreats with the rising background music and the song “Mera Haq Kidhar Hai” begins to play, eliciting cheers from the entire theater audience. This scene made the entire cinema crowd applaud and reminded me the way people clapped on the scenes of “The Legend of Maula Jatt”.
The Plot, Screenplay & Characters:
Taxali Gate features a star-studded cast, with each primary actor delivering a memorable performance, regardless of whether they appear in a brief cameo or play a significant role throughout the movie. The leading actors, Ayesha Omar, Yasir Hussain, Nayyer Ejaz, Babar Ali, and Alyy Khan, have all delivered outstanding performances, while Mehar Bano has convincingly embodied her character. Mehar Bano, portrayed as the rape victim, delivers a powerful performance that forms the crux of the story. Her portrayal of a woman seeking justice in a society rife with evils is both heart-wrenching and inspiring
However, one aspect that detracted from the overall experience was the less impactful presence of the junior artists in comparison to their more experienced counterparts, especially in scenes involving the main ensemble.
Dialogues add life to the story and characters of any film and the bold and daring dialogues of the movie Taxali Gate seem to play a prominent role in the characters of the film.
‘The dialogues of Taxali Gate are not too filmy but it’s too realistic’.
Production & Direction:
Discussing the film’s production, Abu Aleeha is known for creating films on a modest budget. When examining the budget for Taxali Gate, it’s apparent that this film benefits from a more substantial budget than his prior works.
The cast of the film has been shot at the best locations of Lahore, almost the entire film has been shot at the original locations and this film uses sync sound technology instead of dubbing which is seen in very few films. The actors are well-dressed, the sets are vibrant, and add value to the overall impact of the film. We have seen him writing excellent scripts for movies but they lack Tier 1 direction and some good cinematographically directed movies that lack strong content Unlike his recent works like Super Punjabi and Kukri, but this time Abu Aleeha’s cinematography has been top-notch in Taxali Gate and this is probably his best work till now both as a writer and director and he has surely raised his bar with Taxali Gate.
Taxali Gate’s color grading is a big plus to the film’s anticipation as well as soundtracks that perfectly complement its narrative, blending traditional Pakistani music with contemporary sounds. The score promises to be an auditory delight, enhancing the emotional resonance of the story.
Loopholes in Taxali Gate:
The length of a movie greatly affects its success. If a movie is too long and dull, viewers may lose interest. This is especially true for art films, which should be careful about how long they are. However, Abu Aleeha may have made an error by only making the film 95 minutes long. With such a strong script and story, extending the movie could have improved its impact. A 95-minute movie without a break might not be satisfying enough for the audience so a prolonged duration of up to 2 hours run time would have been icing on the cake. Additionally, the editing could have been better, as it appeared messy in some parts and did not look connected a few times in the main plot.
The various dialogue scenes in Taxali Gate were muted without a beep sound which gives an impact of editing error loses the overall impact of the line and can lead to less attention from the audience. Here, the Censor Board and the Director ought to have agreed to employ a beep sound rather than just silencing parts.
Watch it or not?
Taxali Gate has been released all over Pakistan and in the UK and Canada as well. The film is neither a proper commercial nor a drama or Art Film. But it can be labeled as a Parallel cinema film which has flavors for both masses and classes and every movie buff should give a go to an impactful film like Taxali Gate, A societal taboo that has never been introduced before in Pakistani Cinema.
