Lahore: ‘SHAH’ based on a true story of legendary Pakistani boxer, Hussain Shah is now playing in cinemas nationwide following its grand premiere hosted by Samsung Pakistan at Cinestar Cinema in Lahore on Independence Day.
After the film’s premiere in Karachi, the Blue Carpet of the Lahore premiere of ‘SHAH’ featured a host of stars including leading cast and crew along with prominent names from Pakistan’s film, music and fashion fraternity such as musicians Ali Noor, Junaid Khan and Umar Saud; supermodel Nooray Bhatti, Olympian swimmer Kiran Khan and the inspiration for the film Hussain Shah himself who was thronged by fans and media after the standing ovation at the premiere. The event was managed by the JBnJaws Productions with Public Relations by Amjad Bhatti.
The movie highlights Hussain Shah’s life as a homeless child on the streets of Karachi and how he eventually dominated Asian boxing for nearly a decade. Hussain Shah became the first South Asian to win an Olympic Bronze medal in boxing in 1988. He remains the only Pakistani athlete to win an individual medal at the Olympic Games in more than 50 years. Within a few years after his historic achievement, SHAH was forgotten by the government and media and fell back to a life of abject poverty before vanishing from the public eye completely, joining the ranks of countless forgotten heroes of Pakistan. The film SHAH is a small budget, independent Pakistani film produced by Logos Film & Media, a small team of debutante filmmakers from Lahore with the aim of bringing the incredible story of this Pakistani hero back to its people.
While speaking to press at the premiere the films lead actor Adnan Sarwar said: “I am extremely pleased that the film SHAH is receiving such an overwhelming response from the people of Pakistan. For the most part, it is due to Hussain Shah finally getting the kind of acknowledgement that he deserves. Seeing people walk out of the cinemas with tears in their eyes gives me hope that the treatment that was meted out to SHAH will never be repeated again.”
Samsung Pakistan’s MD, Mr. J.H. Lee said on the occasion, “We are utterly thrilled to be a part of this mega project, as we can foresee that ‘SHAH’ the film, is going to excite the nation and influence countless lives in a positive way. It will instill greater ambitions and passion to overcome life’s demoralizing challenges and emerge as a winner in today’s competitive world. Projects like this are needed to bring positive changes in the nation’s mindset, to help them work hard to realize their true potential and earn respect and honor among the global community.”