Jump to content

Gul Makai

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gul Makai
Directed byH.E. Amjad khan
Written byBhaswati Chakrabarty
Screenplay byBhaswati Chakrabarty
Produced bySanjay Singhla
Preeti Vijay Jaju
StarringReem Shaikh
Atul Kulkarni
Divya Dutta
Om Puri
Arif Zakaria
CinematographyMadhu Rao
Javed Ethesham
Edited byPraveen Angre
Music byAmar Mohile
Production
company
Tekno Films
Distributed byPen India Limited
Release date
  • 31 January 2020 (2020-01-31)
Running time
130 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguagesHindi
Urdu

Gul Makai is a 2020 Indian biographical drama film directed by H.E. Amjad Khan, written by Bhaswati Chakrabarty, and produced by Tekno Films. The film is based on the life of Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest ever Nobel Prize laureate.[2]

Reem Shaikh portrays Malala Yousafzai in the film, which also features Om Puri in his final acting role. Gul Makai was released on 31 January 2020.[3]

Plot

[edit]

Gul Makai is a film that portrays the life of Malala Yousafzai, focusing on her experiences in the Swat Valley of northwestern Pakistan and her advocacy for education rights, particularly for girls and women. In 2009, the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley and imposed restrictions, including banning girls from attending school. During this period, Yousafzai began writing under the pseudonym "Gul Makai" for the BBC Urdu website, where she documented the challenges faced by girls in accessing education under Taliban rule.

Yousafzai's advocacy for education drew international attention and recognition. However, her activism also made her a target of the Taliban, who opposed education for girls. In 2012, she survived an assassination attempt by a Taliban gunman, an event that highlighted her struggle and further amplified her message on the global stage.[4][5]

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

H.E. Amjad Khan decided to make a film on Yousafzai's life and struggle in 2012 following her assassination attempt. After the film was announced, Bhaswati Chakrabarty spent four years researching and writing the script [citation needed].

Several hundred actresses auditioned for the role of Malala; 16-year-old Bangladeshi student, Fatima Sheikh, was initially cast.[6][7] However, due to safety concerns stemming from backlash from religious extremists, Sheikh had to withdraw. The role was then given to child actress Reem Shaikh.[8]

Veteran Bollywood actors Om Puri, Divya Dutta, Mukesh Rishi and Arif Zakaria were cast in supporting roles. Khan stated that physical resemblance to the characters' real-life counterparts was a key casting consideration.[9]

Gul Makai began production in late 2016, filming on location in Bhuj (Gujarat) and Mumbai.[10] Filming in Kashmir, however, was delayed due to ongoing conflict in the region.[11] Filming resumed and concluded in January 2018.

The film was edited by National Award-winning editor, Praveen Angre, and included extensive VFX work to recreate the Swat Valley landscape and combat scenes.

Soundtrack

[edit]
Gul Makai
Soundtrack album by
H.E. Amjad Khan
Released23 January 2020
GenreFilmi Soundtrack
Length20:04
LanguageHindi
LabelTekno Music
ProducerSanjay Singla
Preeti Vijay Jaju
External audio
audio icon Gul Makai on iTunes

The film's score was composed by Amar Mohile. The title song was written by Bhaswati Chakrabarty and the remaining songs were written and composed by H.E. Amjad Khan.

No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Maula Mere"Kailash Kher7:22
2."Gudda Guddi"Azmat Hussain5:23
3."Haq Maula"H.E. Amjad Khan, Piyush Mishra7:19
Total length:20:04

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Gul Makai (2019)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Malala Yousafzai biopic 'Gul Makai' being shot in Kashmir - Times of India". The Times of India.
  3. ^ "Malala Yousafzai's biopic 'Gul Makai' to release on January 31". The Economic Times. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  4. ^ "Nobel Prize".
  5. ^ "Assassination attempt".
  6. ^ "Bangladeshi student Fatima Sheikh to play the role of Pakistani". The Independent. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  7. ^ "Amjad Khan ropes in Bangladeshi girl to play Malala Yousafzai". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 31 May 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  8. ^ "TV Child Actor Reem Sheikh to Play Malala Yousafzai in 'Gul Makai'". The Quint. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  9. ^ "Gul Makai's First Poster Has Reem Shaikh Bearing A Strong Resemblance With Malala Yousafzai". India.com. 2 September 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  10. ^ "Shooting of 'Gul Makai'- biopic on Malala resumes in September". The News International. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  11. ^ "The filming of Malala Yousafzai's biopic to resume from September". Deccan Chronicle. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
[edit]