There are moments in your life that are so incredibly life altering that they make you question everything. Sometimes they reaffirm your beliefs, and give you the guidance you need to push on. While at other times, they save you from making grave errors of judgment. Regardless of the effect, they ensure that you feel glad to be alive. I’ve had few such moments of intense clarity. They’ve come extremely unexpectedly, such as a piece of sushi so incredibly delicious that it made me reevaluate life. However, the one I want to talk about now is finally getting a full dose of Cake.
No! Not that kind! I’m a good boy.
What I mean is the full trailer of Cake (the film). Directed by Asim Abbasi and featuring the talents of Aamina Sheikh, Sanam Saeed and Adnan Malik. Cake is poised to take the title of my favorite film of the year from Parchi on the 30th of March. A date that can’t get here soon enough. Till now, all we had was a brilliant teaser and an ever more teasing Instagram account. Now, we’ve finally been blessed with a full trailer; two minutes and twenty-four seconds of pure gold.
Pure gold, or would you rather I say, the perfect slice of Cake?
I kid you not, this trailer had all the components that together make a great slice of cake; it even leaves you wanting more.
As you read this, you must be wondering, has he gone mad? Well, to that I have two things to say. One, where’s the fun in being sane? And two, I can prove to you that my analogy works.
The Heart of the Story; Building the Cake
Let’s begin with the base of every good cake, the sponge itself. At the core of this film, the sponge if you will, is family. Zareen (Aamina Sheikh) her younger sister Zara (Sanam Saeed) and their parents (Mohammed Ahmed and Beo Zafar).
They are shown to be incredibly relatable, though a bit posh. With the younger of the two girls living in London and the older at home taking care of her parents, and the family lands. The parents are aging adorably, while there’s tense friction between the two sisters.
Next you have the filling. Fillings usually add drama and excitement to the cake. There’s plenty of that here too.
The father falls ill suddenly, forcing Zara to return home, reigniting sibling tensions. While Zareen is already dealing with societal tweeting about her being a single woman taking care of her father’s lands. There’s also talk of actions ‘raising eyebrows’.
There are laments of bearing the costs of everyone else’s choices, and in the midst a budding romance between Zareen and Romeo (Adnan Malik).
By the end of the first two minutes, tensions run high. Zara is dragging Zareen out by the hair and an ominous message about bonds breaking appears sprawled across the screen.
Production Designs; Binding it all Together
Now you need something to bring everything together, like how the frosting brings together a cake.
Bringing together the scenes is the impeccable cinematography. Each scene is set up with amazing attention to detail. Though not on a grandiose scale like some Bollywood flicks are. As grandeur doesn’t necessarily mean the film is worth watching.
Each scene here however pops. Whether it’s in a cozy home in Karachi, out in the fields or on a farmhouse in rural Sindh. Only time will tell just how gorgeous the film truly is. But one can hope for greatness, as this trailer seems to be promising that.
I don’t know about you but I love a nice plump maraschino cherry on top of my cake slice. You like them too? Would you believe that this trailer has that too?
It comes in the form of just how well each of the actors are shown playing off each other. The brief glimpse of Romeo and Zareen’s romance had enough sparks to light a raging bonfire. The tension between Zareen and Zara creates palpitations strong enough to cause tremors.
My favourite however are the parents.
You actually feel as if they have been married for fifty years, with each one being simultaneously quirky and adorable. The final scene, involving the word ‘padhora’ had me roaring with laughter.
Bon Appetit
Like I wrote earlier, this is the slice that leaves you wanting more.
You want to know why there’s tension between the two sisters. You want to know what the father wants to do that would raise eyebrows. And, you want to know how each of the characters end up.
The only real problem with this trailer is that you have to wait till the 30th of March to watch the full movie. This is definitely one of those times when you want to have the cake and eat it too.
