One of Mahesh Bhatt’s best-loved films is being remade in Pakistan. Arth, released in 1982 and loosely based on Bhatt’s life, is the story of an advertising filmmaker’s affair with a model and the effect this extra-marital liaison has on his wife. Featuring Kulbhushan Kharbhanda and Smita Patil as the couple and Shabana Azmi as the wife who struggles to break free of her marriage and retain her dignity in the process, Arth is one of Hindi cinema’s most honest examinations of marriage and morality.
Raj Kiran plays the crucial role of the singer who helps Azmi’s character pull through her misery. The soundtrack, by Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh, remains highly popular. Sahir Ali Bagga will compose the score of the remake, also titled Arth.
The Pakistani version has been directed by local heartthrob Shaan Shahid (familiar to Indian audiences from Khuda Kay Liye). Shahid will play Raj Kiran’s character, while Humaima Mallick will portray Patil, Uzma Hassan Azmi and Mohib Mirza Kharbanda. The movie has been co-produced by Shahid and Pakistani distributor Hammad Chaudhary. “Arth 2 is a contemporary take on relationships in modern Pakistan but the essence of the original is intact,” Chaudhary told Mumbai Mirror in an interview.
The movie was supposed to have been released in 2015, and will finally be looking at a December 2017 date.
