KARACHI: As Pakistani cinemas fill up during the Eid Al-Adha holidays, the actors behind the new action-romance drama “Luv Di Saun” say they hope audiences leave theaters with more than just entertainment.
The film, starring singer-turned-actor Farhan Saeed and actor Mamya Shajaffar, combines romance, action and social commentary against the backdrop of Lahore’s old city, using a commercial Eid release to explore themes including human trafficking, survival and the struggles faced by religious minorities.
The movie arrives during one of Pakistan’s most important cinema periods, when local filmmakers traditionally compete for audiences during the Eid holidays. Pakistan’s film industry, which has struggled for years with declining cinema infrastructure and inconsistent production, increasingly relies on Eid releases to revive local theatrical business and compete with foreign content and streaming platforms.
Saeed said “Luv Di Saun” aimed to balance mainstream entertainment with difficult social themes rarely explored in commercial Pakistani cinema.
“It’s happening for the first time in Pakistani cinema that minorities have a representation in the film,” Saeed told Arab News in an interview ahead of the film’s release.
“Their issues have been highlighted in a beautiful manner. The girls who have been trafficked do not just represent Muslim women.”
Set in Lahore, the film follows an unlikely romance between the lead characters played by Saeed and Shajaffar, while gradually unfolding a darker storyline involving trafficking and exploitation.
The trailer hints at an emotionally charged narrative blending romance, action and suspense, while also positioning Lahore itself as a central visual element of the story.
Shajaffar described her character’s journey as one shaped by trauma, resilience and redemption.
“I feel like both of our characters, it’s a saving grace kind of a moment for my character. Like, the girls [and] how they were trafficked and whatever happens to them after,” she said.
“It’s about how you can switch your life around and what it takes to basically do that. And everybody deserves a second chance. It’s a strong message in itself. It is super important as an artist to deliver something for the society.”
Although Saeed and Shajaffar previously appeared together in the 2023 television drama “Jhok Sarkar,” they did not share a romantic storyline in that project. “Luv Di Saun,” which roughly translates to “the swear on love,” marks their first film together as lead actors opposite one another.
By Shajaffar’s account, the on-screen chemistry developed naturally despite her initial nervousness.
“It takes two to tango,” she said. “It really was an ‘action-reaction,’ as he said. I was a bit nervous having to perform with someone who knows how to do it and has been in the business for so long.”
“But he made it very easy and very effortless,” she added. “The chemistry was there even before getting into the scene.”
The film also features social media personality Khan Baba, whose imposing physical presence became part of the film’s action sequences.
Known formally as Arbab Khizer Hayat, Khan Baba rose to online fame through videos in which he claimed to be among the world’s strongest men, though he has frequently faced criticism from viewers who accuse him of exaggeration and publicity-seeking behavior.
For Saeed, however, filming action scenes opposite Khan Baba proved physically demanding.
“It’s actually a mix of everything. It has romance. It has action. And the real lesson you take from this movie is very serious,” Saeed said. “I think the best kind of cinema for me is in which you entertain people and give them something that can help the society.”
“It’s not all action, it’s action with Khan Baba,” Saeed quipped.
“When they told me that you are fighting Khan Baba, I didn’t really take that seriously,” he added. “But it’s like a ring fight and he is throwing me here and there like I am a dummy. I used to tell Khan Baba to take it easy.”
For Shajaffar, one of the biggest challenges has been navigating public scrutiny surrounding female actors in Pakistan’s entertainment industry.
Despite growing opportunities for younger actresses, she said audiences often reduced women to superficial judgments based on appearance or clothing.
“I don’t think the audiences have gotten anything right about me. [They have misunderstood] pretty much everything... I think that I am a shy human being and nobody would believe that,” she said.
“I think they reduce an entire person and their personality and their way of being, and their way of carrying and how they deal with things in life to someone’s clothing is just obnoxious to me.”
With several Pakistani films releasing during Eid, both actors said competition should be viewed as healthy for the country’s struggling cinema sector.
“It’s a healthy competition,” Shajaffar said.
Saeed, however, argued that the industry’s larger problem was Pakistan’s limited cinema infrastructure.
“It’s the number of screens that’s the problem, the number of releases is not the problem,” he said. “And everybody targets Eid is the bigger problem but then that’s how it has been in Pakistan.”
