A quiet hero in an outlandish world
This review is my opinion and contains spoilers.
“Humaun, Faisal, and Ijaz…Gul Nawaz, Gul Nawas!”
“Wrong No. 2″ is a 2019 Pakistani movie directed by Yasir Nawaz starring Javaid Sheikh, Sana, Yasir Nawaz, Shafqat Cheema, and Nayyer Ejaz. The film is engineered around a love story between the daughter of Pakistan’s leading mango exporter and his servant’s son. The exporter, Gul Nawaz (Javaid Sheikh), is obsessed with his image, particularly when he decides to run for office despite being comically incapable. Knowing his daughter, Zoya (Neelam Muneer), is in love with someone not from the same background, Gul Nawaz fears she may disgrace him more by running away. Though Zoya is prepared to do so, her boyfriend, Omar (Sami Khan), hesitates. When learning of the love story between his son and his boss’ daughter, Wasir (Mehmood Aslam) formulates a plan to complete the love story despite Gul Nawaz’s misunderstandings about Zoya’s love story. While Wazir’s plan works somewhat, it fails to account for Happy’s pursuit of Zoya. The union of Happy, the son of a man who can secure Gul Nawaz’s chances at becoming minister, Chaudhry Saab (Shaqfat Cheema), and Zoya is fixed when Zoya tries to pressure Omar to run away with her.
What separates this film from any other of this nature I’ve seen is how Omar never attempts to run away with Zoya after her wedding is fixed. He did run away with her before being kidnapped, but he doesn’t take another chance. When a character in this position is the hero, it’s expected that he try again. There’s a dance number where Omar imagines himself as part of a duet with Zoya, a number where he wears a sherwani of similar quality to Happy’s, and Zoya with a plain dress contrasted with the one she has on. Omar imagines two alternate realities where his love story could have flourished: one where he came from a wealthy background and another where Zoya had a more modest one. In nearly every scene with them, Zoya tells Omar how much she loves him and is ready to live like him. In the first scene, it seems Omar openly reciprocates his love for Zoya in a mall lunch area, and it happens to be when he’s caught by his father, whose first reaction is to punish him for even thinking of engaging in the relationship. The one moment of naturalism and groundedness followed by a stunned response from his father makes for a great contrast, which is portrayed in the single best reveal I can recall.
To be clear, Gul Nawaz is the true hero of the film. He’s the one who overcomes his vanity to preserve his daughter’s dignity (he refuses to sign the house, in Zoya’s name, away to Happy before the wedding). He is willing to face any possible humiliating circumstance he would have otherwise desperately tried to hide from. Omar, on the other hand, feels constantly humiliated by Zoya by her manner of expressing her acceptance of his background. It’s okay to feel confused by her tone, but the audience hopes he clarifies his thoughts to them. As someone who isn’t the film’s core, Omar doesn’t have to make his every emotion known because they may not further the plot. This may be a more realistic approach to this kind of story. Omar’s emotions are insufficient to change the outcome and the people around him. All he can do is give them the space to change and show up authentically as himself. He supports Gul Nawaz’s interviews by supplying answers on boards to better Gul Nawaz’s overall appearance and generally appears to do what Gul Nawaz is made to think of as Omar’s job (this plot point is better seen than explained) well. He even fights for Zoya when Happy tries to kidnap her, but he doesn’t make it clear it’s because he’s in love with her, and it’s possible Gul Nawaz just thinks Omar is doing his job. Gul Nawaz sings Omar’s praises to Zoya after the first two weddings are called off. (What does not make sense about this commentary is best understood by watching this film.)
The only possible story flaw could be seen in Omar’s view as the story’s romantic hero, but it’s the most human aspect of this outrageous film. It should also be mentioned that this conceptual sequel to the idea of misunderstandings is different and better executed than its first take. This compliment is sometimes challenging to give to sequels. The structure makes sense, it is better at pacing how to pace itself, and it has fewer nonsensical comedic reliefs. The latter is strange to give merit to, given the number of cringe characters it has among bits that are fatphobic, ageist, and homophobic. What makes the film worth watching is how the main plot will resolve itself and include a more endearing romantic storyline that genuinely feels like the main one. The film tries its best to make Omar meaningful because his story is the center of pain for everyone else. However, the characters who serve as secondary moral centers in this concentric circle of a film are those from Omar’s mohalla, who found themselves entangled in this mess. Although the film exists in a heightened form of reality, it’s vital in its ability to plausibly portray the rules of its universe in manners that seem credible to pass off as its perspective on Pakistani society’s views on politics and socio-economic backgrounds.
You can watch “Wrong No.2” on Prime.