This is what an Indo-Pak love story from the other side of the border looks like. In Khalil ur Rehman Qamar’s Kaaf Kangna, the love between the Pakistani hero (played by Sami Khan) and the Indian heroine (Eshal Fayyaz) plays out against the always-tense relations between the neighbours. “When you smile, it appears that there will be friendship between India and Pakistan,” Kaaf tells Kangna. But this love will be like a “surgical strike”, another character warns.

Kangna’s father, an Indian politician, reminds his audience of December 16, which marks India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war. Kaaf lands up in India, where his adversaries include Kangna’s father and Indian Army officers. The movie has a Bollywood-style item song and the suggestion of a rebirth angle dating back to events that occurred during the Partition in 1947.

Kaaf Kangna is aiming for an August release. The movie marks the feature debut of Khalil ur Rehman Qamar, whose credits include the television show Sadqe Tumhare, Dawn noted. Qamar has previously written the screenplay of the Pakistani production Channa Sachi Muchi (2010), which explores an inter-faith romance against the backdrop of the Partition.