Welcome 2 Karachi | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical Release Poster | |
Directed by | Ashish R Mohan |
Written by | Vrajesh Hirjee |
Screenplay by |
|
Produced by | Vashu Bhagnani |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Mark Nutkins |
Edited by | Steven H Bernard |
Music by |
|
Production company | |
Distributed by | AA Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 131 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Hindi |
Welcome 2 Karachi is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language black comedy film [1] directed by Ashish R Mohan and produced by Vashu Bhagnani. The film stars Arshad Warsi [2] and Jackky Bhagnani as pivotal leads. Music directors Jeet Ganguly and Rochak Kohli composed music for this film. The film was released on 28 May 2015. [3]
The story kicks off with two dumb and dumber friends, Captain Shammi Thakur, a courtmartialed navy officer and Kedar Patel, a Gujarati who has been denied a U.S. visa multiple times. Both plan to sail to the United States using a boat but, with a twist of fate, end up on the beach of Karachi, Pakistan. On realizing the truth they both try to escape, while being chased by an ISI Agent. Both get kidnapped by a local don Azher Baluch, who demands ransom from Kedar's father and later releases them in a pathan colony to collect fake passports. But Shami, messes up with a bunch of pathans over an India-Pakistan match. In the struggle to escape from pathans both meet a Talibani militant, who takes them to a Taliban camp where they are misunderstood as Talibani militants.
A few days later, Shami and Kedar plans to escape the camp by stealing camp leader's mobile phone, which was actually a detonator of a bomb designed by Taliban to attack NATO army. In attempt to dial a number Shami unknowingly triggers the bomb destroying the Talibani camp itself. Attracted by the explosions, a drone arrives and the two are arrested by American Army. After knowing their situation both are released. They go to Azher Baluch, the only person they know in Pakistan. Baluch makes a deal with ruling minister that in return for an election ticket he will hand over the two guys to him. The minister wants to take the credit of attack on Taliban by announcing both Shami and Kedar as Pakistani soldiers.
Soon the two are declared as national heroes by Pakistani media while the Indian media claims them as Indians stuck in Pakistan. Caught in this tug of war Shami and Kedar are once again kidnapped by American army, who promises to deport them to India if they could give the credit of Talibani camp attack to American Army in media. They agree and are sent to Karachi Airport to finally catch a flight back to India. While waiting for their flight, Shami notices a Talibani militant disguised as an airlines pilot. Seeing a possibility of a terror attack they both decide to rescue, being backed by Pakistani army. During crossfire Shami and Kedar manage to overpower the militant and take off with the plane, finally able to depart from Pakistan. The movie ends with both sitting in the cockpit only to find a strange voice behind them (possibly another militant) suggesting them to take a left turn.
The film has been shot in various parts of the United Kingdom including Bradford, Birmingham and Wales and sets were recreated to resemble Karachi. During the shooting of scenes in Wales, the lead actors were mistaken as real Taliban people and the shoot was halted by Scotland Yard authorities. [5] The Bradford Bazaar was used as the backdrop of the film's shooting in Bradford. [6] During the shoot, the airport set from Birmingham was stolen by truckloaders. During this, Bhagnani suffered a loss due to which shooting came to a halt. [7]
The role of Jackky Bhagnani was first offered to Irrfan Khan but due to other commitments Khan left the film. [8]
Kubra Khan was originally cast as the female lead and shot most of the film before creative differences led to her leaving the film and being replaced by Lauren Gottlieb, who reshot most of her scenes. [9] Certain scenes featuring Kubra were retained in the final version of the film and the script was re-written to change her role into a much smaller one.
Welcome 2 Karachi | |
---|---|
Soundtrack album | |
Released | 29 April 2015 |
Genre | Feature film soundtrack |
Label | T-Series |
The music for the film is composed by Jeet Gannguli, Rochak Kohli and Amjad-Nadeem. The soundtrack of the film comprises 5 songs. The full audio album of the film was released on 29 April 2015 on YouTube. [10] [11]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Lalla Lalla Lori" | Rochak Kohli | Rochak Kohli | Vishal Dadlani, Shivangi R. Kashyap | 04:18 |
2. | "Boat Ma Kukdookoo" | Rochak Kohli | Rochak Kohli | Mika Singh, Rochak Kohli, Deane Sequeira, Shivangi R. Kashyap | 03:20 |
3. | "Shakira" | Kausar Munir | Jeet Gannguli | Shalmali Kholgade | 03:37 |
4. | "Chal Bhaag" | Sameer Anjaan | Amjad Nadeem | Love Juneja, Wajid Ali | 04:33 |
5. | "Mera Yaar Fantastic" | Sameer Anjaan | Rochak Kohli | Alamgir Khan | 3:59 |
The film received largely negative reviews from critics. Paloma Sharma of Rediff rated it 0.5 stars and said, "Welcome 2 Karachi is a sad excuse for screen space" [12]
Welcome to Karachi grossed ₹1.5 Cr in India on its opening day. The comedy drama film only managed to gross Rs. 5.50 crore net (55 million) approx. on its first weekend at the box office, including paid previews. This isn't shocking as the film pulled poor numbers on its first day by grossing Rs. 1.35 crore net (13.5 million)approx. on Friday. The film however saw a decent growth on Sunday than it saw on its first day by doing a business of Rs. 2 crore net (20 million) approx. at the box office. [13]
The Intelligence Bureau is a intelligence agency in Pakistan focused primrily on non-military intelligence. Established in 1947, the IB is Pakistan's oldest intelligence agency. DG IB is a 4 star equivalent rank of the BPS apex scale in Pakistan. Appointments and supervision of its operations are authorized by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Arshad Hussain Warsi is an Indian actor, playback singer, television presenter, producer, choreographer, dancer and writer, who appears in Hindi films. He is the recipient of several awards including a Filmfare Award from five nominations and is noted for acting in varied film genres.
Kabul Express is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language adventure thriller film written and directed by documentary film maker Kabir Khan and produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films was released on 15 December 2006. The film stars John Abraham, Arshad Warsi, Salman Shahid, Hanif Humgaam and Linda Arsenio. Kabul Express is the first fictional film for director Kabir Khan who has made several documentaries over the years in Afghanistan. According to him Kabul Express is loosely based on his and his friend Rajan Kapoor's experiences in post-Taliban Afghanistan. Kabul Express was shot entirely in Afghanistan.
Lauren Gottlieb is an American dancer and actress who works mainly in the Indian film industry. She was a contestant on the third season of the reality dance competition So You Think You Can Dance and played the lead role in the 2013 Indian dance film ABCD: Any Body Can Dance. She was in the sixth season of popular Indian television dance show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa with choreographer and partner Punit Pathak in 2013. Two years later, she also judged the eighth season of the show. She has also Appeared In The Music Video Of Harrdy Sandhu "She Dance Like".
Afghanistan–Pakistan relations refer to the bilateral ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan. In August 1947, the partition of British India led to the emergence of Pakistan along Afghanistan's eastern frontier, and the two countries have since had a strained relationship; Afghanistan was the sole country to vote against Pakistan's admission into the United Nations following the latter's independence. Various Afghan government officials and Afghan nationalists have made irredentist claims to large swathes of Pakistan's territory in modern-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistani Balochistan, which complete the traditional homeland of "Pashtunistan" for the Pashtun people. The Taliban has received substantial financial and logistical backing from Pakistan, which remains a significant source of support. Since the Taliban's inception, the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency has been providing them with funding, training, and weaponry. However, Pakistan's support for the Taliban is not without risks, as it involves playing a precarious and delicate game. Afghan territorial claims over Pashtun-majority areas that are in Pakistan were coupled with discontent over the permanency of the Durand Line, for which Afghanistan demanded a renegotiation, with the aim of having it shifted eastward to the Indus River. Territorial disputes and conflicting claims prevented the normalization of bilateral ties between the two countries throughout the mid-20th century. Further Afghanistan–Pakistan tensions have arisen concerning a variety of issues, including the Afghanistan conflict and Afghan refugees in Pakistan, water-sharing rights, and a continuously warming relationship between Afghanistan and India. Nonetheless, the Durand Line witnesses frequent occurrences of suicide bombings, airstrikes, or street battles on an almost daily basis.
The Pakistani Taliban, officially called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan, is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani border. Formed in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud, its current leader is Noor Wali Mehsud, who has publicly pledged allegiance to the Afghan Taliban. The Pakistani Taliban share a common ideology with the Afghan Taliban and have assisted them in the 2001–2021 war, but the two groups have separate operation and command structures.
Pakistan and state-sponsored terrorism refers to the involvement of Pakistan in terrorism through the backing of various designated terrorist organizations. Pakistan has been frequently accused by various countries, including its neighbours Afghanistan, Iran, and India, as well as by the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, of involvement in a variety of terrorist activities in both its local region of South Asia and beyond. Pakistan's northwestern tribal regions along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border have been described as an effective safe haven for terrorists by Western media and the United States Secretary of Defense, while India has accused Pakistan of perpetuating the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir by providing financial support and armaments to militant groups, as well as by sending state-trained terrorists across the Line of Control and de jure India–Pakistan border to launch attacks in Indian-administered Kashmir and India proper, respectively. According to an analysis published by the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution in 2008, Pakistan was reportedly, "with the possible exception of Iran, perhaps the world's most active sponsor of terrorist groups... aiding these groups that pose a direct threat to the United States. Pakistan's active participation has caused thousands of deaths in the region; all these years Pakistan has been supportive to several terrorist groups despite several stern warnings from the international community." Daniel Byman, a professor and senior analyst of terrorism and security at the Center For Middle East Policy, also wrote that, "Pakistan is probably 2008's most active sponsor of terrorism". In 2018, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, suggested that the Pakistani government played a role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that were carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist group. In July 2019, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, on an official visit to the United States, acknowledged the presence of some 30,000–40,000 armed terrorists operating on Pakistani soil. He further stated that previous administrations were hiding this truth, particularly from the United States, for the last 15 years during the War on Terror.
Jackky Bhagnani is an Indian actor, film producer and entrepreneur. He is the Founder of Indian music label Jjust Music.
F.A.L.T.U is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Remo D'Souza and produced by Vashu Bhagnani, under the banner Puja Entertainment (India) Ltd. Its plot is heavily borrowed from the 2006 Hollywood comedy, Accepted.
Ajab Gazabb Love is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Sanjay Gadhvi and produced by Vashu Bhagnani. The film stars Arjun Rampal in a double role, along with Jackky Bhagnani opposite Nidhi Subbaiah in lead roles and Darshan Jariwala and Kirron Kher in supporting roles, whilst Arshad Warsi appears in a cameo role. The screenplay and dialogues were written by Mayur Puri. The theatrical trailer of the film revealed on 13 August 2012, whilst the film released worldwide on 26 October 2012, and received mostly negative response. The storyline is remade from the Telugu film Seema Tapakai.
Ali Abbas Zafar is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is known for directing Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011), Gunday (2014), Sultan (2016), Tiger Zinda Hai (2017) and Bharat (2019).
Anti-Pashtun sentiment refers to dislike and hostility towards Pashtuns, Pashtun culture, or the Pashto language. This includes fear as well as resentment exhibited by non-Pashtun ethnic majorities who have suffered decades of persecution at the hands of Pashtuns, including disappearances, murder, slavery, Pashtunization, and genocide, especially the Hazaras.
Rangrezz (transl. Dyer) is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language action drama film directed by Priyadarshan starring Jackky Bhagnani, Priya Anand, Rajpal Yadav, Vijay Varma and Amitosh Nagpal. The film is an official remake of the 2009 Tamil film Naadodigal. The film was titled by Shah Rukh Khan, who had registered it through his production company Red Chillies Entertainment. The film was produced by Vashu Bhagnani under his production banner Pooja Entertainment India Ltd. Priyadarshan and Santosh Sivan teamed up for this film, after Kaalapani (1996). The film was released on 21 March 2013.
Phantom is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Kabir Khan, produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and Siddharth Roy Kapur, and starring Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif in leading roles. The screenplay of the film was written in coordination with author Hussain Zaidi's book Mumbai Avengers on the aftermath of 26/11 Mumbai attacks. The film was released worldwide on 28 August 2015 to mixed reviews.
On 16 December 2014, six gunmen affiliated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) conducted a terrorist attack on the Army Public School in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. The terrorists, all of whom were foreign nationals, comprising one Chechen, three Arabs and two Afghans, entered the school and opened fire on school staff and children, killing 149 people including 132 schoolchildren ranging between eight and eighteen years of age, making it the world's fifth deadliest school massacre. Pakistan launched a rescue operation undertaken by the Pakistan Army's Special Services Group (SSG) special forces, who killed all six terrorists and rescued 960 people. In the long term, Pakistan established the National Action Plan to crack down on terrorism.
On 13 May 2015, eight gunmen attacked a bus travelling in Safoora Goth, Karachi, Sindh in Pakistan. The shooting left at least 46 people dead. All of the victims were of the Ismaili Shia Muslim minority, suggesting the attack was a targeted killing of sectarian nature.
Rabia Iqbal Khan known by her stage name Kubra Khan is a British-Pakistani actress who works in Urdu television and films. She made her debut in 2014 with the film Na Maloom Afraad and later appeared in Hindi film Welcome 2 Karachi. Khan is described among the nation's highest-paid actresses by the media.
Deepshikha Deshmukh is an Indian film producer who works in Hindi cinema.
Bell Bottom is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Ranjit M. Tewari. The film is written by Aseem Arrora and Parveez Sheikh, with production by Vashu Bhagnani, Jackky Bhagnani, Deepshikha Deshmukh and Nikkhil Advani under their respective banners Pooja Entertainment and Emmay Entertainment. It stars Akshay Kumar as the lead character, with Vaani Kapoor, Lara Dutta and Huma Qureshi in an extended cameo appearance. Bell Bottom is inspired from real life hijacking events in India by Khalistani terrorists during the 1980s, such as the Indian Airlines Flight 423, 405 and 421 hijackings.
Welcome to the Jungle is an upcoming Hindi language action adventure comedy film directed by Ahmed Khan and produced by Firoz Nadiadwala under the banner of Jio Studios. It is the standalone sequel to Welcome (2007) and Welcome Back (2015), and the third installment in the Welcome series. It stars Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Arshad Warsi, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez and Paresh Rawal in lead roles.