You don’t get a better film on a social subject than Load Wedding that tackles one of the biggest evils of our society – dowry. How it uses a love story to portray the issue is something only Nabeel Qureshi and Fizza Ali Meerza could do. The director-producer duo has been on a roll ever since they have come up with Na Maloom Afraad and here in their fourth collaboration, they haven’t disappointed their fans. Although the lead members of the cast (excluding Samina Ahmed, Qaiser Piya, and Noor ul Hassan) are from Karachi, they gave a commendable performance as local Punjabis and credit must be given to Fahad Mustafa, Mehwish Hayat and Faiza Hasan who were helped by Mohsin Abbas Haider in their quest for perfection.

Load Wedding seems to be going on the same track as Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, as it tackles a very important issue in a very light manner. It begins with the love story of Raja (Fahad Mustafa) and Meeru (Mehwish Hayat) and ends with the possible marriage of Baby Baji (Faiza Hasan) who is a little overweight and that’s the reason she doesn’t get good proposals. When she does, the demand is very high which is why her brother Raja is always under pressure from her mother. Will Raja be able to arrange dowry for her elder sister so that he can get married himself or will fate have a new twist for the desperate family and help them in some other way. Watch Load Wedding to find out what happens in the film and to the middle-class family we all can relate to.

Veteran actress Samina Ahmed makes a triumphant comeback to films as the mother of both, Fahad Mustafa and Faiza Hasan’s characters. Not only is her accent perfect but her emotions also remind you of your mother back home. Qaiser Piya is a revelation as he plays Raja’s friend and does a good job even if it means staying in second place; Noor ul Hassan, Anjum Habibi and others are also there to make the film look authentically Punjabi, however, the one person who steals the show is Fahim Khan, as his version of Aamir Liaquat Hussain takes you by surprise. He is shown to be the ‘aam khayega aam’ guy who has a minor role that has a major impact.

Load Wedding’s soundtrack is the best amongst all three Eid releases and one must again mention Mohsin Abbas Haider for singing one song and writing two. Shani Arshad once again does the trick as he delivers a completely Punjabi soundtrack and doesn’t disappoint with Rangeya and Good Luck staying with the audience after they exit the cinema. Rana Kamran is undoubtedly the best cinematographer in the country and his work speaks for himself as he captures everything well in his frame. Finally, one must commend the work of both Nabeel and Fizza (writers as well as makers of the film) who have outdone themselves by taking up an issue that not many would go for. That’s the reason why Load Wedding comes out as a family entertainer and will be staying in cinemas for a long time, maybe until we realise that dowry is an evil, not a necessity! •