Bol Movie Reviews

Shoaib Mansoor is one of the brightest names to come out of Pakistan. A few years ago, his film KHUDA KAY LIYE, which tackled the theme of terrorism, won wide acclaim and praise. The supremely talented storyteller is back with another bold and hard-hitting effort called BOL, which unmasks the dual standards prevalent in the society. In fact, we make tall claims about the rights of women and how they are equal to men, but if one looks around, especially in the under-developed countries

Director Shoaib Mansoor is fast becoming the flagbearer of a new wave in Pakistani cinema. Having already hit international headlines with Khuda Kay Liye, his highly acclaimed diatribe on fundamentalism and racial profiling in a post 9/11 world, he now returns with Bol, another hard-hitting indictment of the status of women in orthodox societies. The film is a tour de force, both in terms of the performances by the two main protagonists, daughter Humaima

Shoaib Mansoor needs no introduction. With his debut film KHUDA KE LIYE, the Pakistani director had the audience sit up and take notice of his work. BOL, his latest film, which released in Pakistan in June and had a worldwide release this week, is another work of his which once again has you, as an audience, asking a question. BOL is thought-provoking, compelling and forthright. It brings the subject to light, but never once does Mansoor force his view on the audience

After tackling the global issue of terrorism in the most impartial, compelling and comprehensive manner in his last masterpiece Khuda Kay Liye , director Shoaib Mansoor shifts focus to discussing domestic concerns of our neighbouring countrymen, their community and, by large, the humankind in Bol. The entire story unveils in the flashback mode as Zainab (Humaima Malick) narrates her life history to the media, minutes before being sentenced to death

"Waah, kya baat hai." I hear those words not from the screen. But from some of the fellows sitting around at my theatre. It happens quite often. Fine Urdu has that effect, even if a lot of the words aren't easy to access. Such is the command the filmmakers have over dialogue writing, it almost feels like being at a mushaira. This was the case with Mansoor's directorial debut Khuda Kay Liye (2007) as well. Most would remember that film for Naseeruddin Shah's grand finale speech

Speak up- that was the theme of Faiz's revolutionary poem advocating the timeless need to stand up and speak the truth. He said that, not only for the Pakistani maashra (society) overlaid with its dichotomies and contradictions that more or less make most societies today but also for the rest of the world, in any place where injustice and exploitation thrives. Shoaib Mansoor's new film, Bol, has its roots in the much-cherished Faizian tradition of fearlessness in speaking up

There's an inherent sincerity in 'Khuda Ke Liye' director Shoaib Mansoor's new film 'Bol', that compels you to look beyond its shortcomings. This film raises important questions about the terrifyingly regressive attitude towards women in Pakistan's patriarchal society, and casts a critical eye on various prejudices perpetuated in the name of religion. At the centre of this bleak drama is a middle-aged, God-fearing medicine man Hakeem

Shoaib Mansoor's earlier film Khuda Kay Liye was delightful, so the expectations from Bol were high. And, I think, he largely lives up to it. The film starts dramatically with Zainab (Humaima Malick) -- eldest daughter of Hakeem Sahib (Manzar Sehba) -- set to be hanged. Her last wish is to tell her story to the media. And thus begins the saga. Hakeem Sahib is an extremely stubborn, orthodox man who hides behind religion to control his wife and brood of kids

High drama is clearly Pakistani television veteran Shoaib Mansoor’s preferred mode. In his sophomore big screen outing, he carries on pretty much from where the widely lauded Khuda Kay Liye had ended. That was all of four years ago and matters have only got worse. So the writer-director is still seething at what the loony fringe appears to be doing to his nation. In Bol, he pours his indignation out in no uncertain terms. It is strident, melodramatic and unmistakably out for the jugular

Bol, the second film from Shoaib Mansoor who made the heartwrenching Khuda Kay Liye, tells the story of one Pakistani family but fails to make it the universal fable he wants it to be. When the big question is popped several times in the last reel — 19 long reels later — the answer only concerns the women in the middle and not womanhood at large. Interpretation of the codes of Islam, which was the recurrent theme of Khuda Kay Liye, returns in Bol in muted tones

Bol Review by Komal Nahta: It is a fantastic fare, entertaining & thought-provoking, but it should not have come i...