It had the ideal chance to make an impact but Shazia Ali Khan’s Pinky Memsaab couldn’t deliver as per the expectations. The writer/director may have the best of intentions in presenting the story of Pinky (Hajra Yamin), Meher (Kiran Malik) and Hasan (Adnan Jaffar) but its execution lacked a filmmaker’s vision making it one of those films that went unnoticed.

As it is evident from the trailer, Hajra Yamin’s Pinky travels to the United Arab Emirates to work as the maid of an aspiring writer played by Kiran Malik. Her husband, Hasan, an investment banker, treats Pinky like a human being until one day Kiran sees him in what she believes is a compromising position. From there, Pinky goes out in search of more jobs but realises that her first job was the best, even though she can’t go back. Her only friend in the city Santosh (Indian actor Sunny Hinduja) helps her out whenever he can but then he is just a driver who tries to share whatever experience he has gained in the foreign country.

Hajra Yamin and Sunny Hinduja stand out in the film although they don’t play a couple or are romantically involved; the scene where she throws water on her face while speaking to her family in the village shows how intensely Hajra has been trained as a theatre actor. Another theatre actor Adnan Jaffar plays the rich man again but here, his character is given a chance to explore himself. He bonds well with his son over a game of tennis that was his passion before he ditched the sport for his job; Kiran Malik is undoubtedly one of the better-looking actresses to make their debut in Pakistan and carries herself well in nearly every scene she is in. She needs to work hard on her acting because it is only then that she will be taken seriously otherwise she will go down as just another pretty face.

The film’s plot is inspiring but would have done wonders had it been directed by someone more senior and with more knowledge of filmmaking. The shaky camerawork and the constant breaks between the scenes would have been acceptable at a College or University Film Festival but filmmaking is a serious business with no place for amateurs. With the final installment of 3 Bahadur and Aquaman, Bumblebee, and Zero in a week’s time, it would be a surprise if Pinky Memsaab manages to survive past its first week. •