Dukhtar (2014) User Reviews

Of mountains and escapades

[deltaop · 7/10 · 18 September 2014]

Last year's Waar made headlines everywhere because of the jingoistic message it brought. Dukhtar (Daughter) has so far been quite a mellow affair, partly because of its dealing with the poignant issue of child marriage in Pakistan's rural areas.

Shot absolutely beautifully in the North of the country, it is a story about the fierce love of a mother who is not about to give off her young daughter's hand in marriage to settle a tribal dispute.

One of the best things about this movie is that it doesn't get monotonous. The director, Afia, does an excellent job in keeping the story fast-paced with a load of twists and turns despite the relatively banal topic of the flick.

Acting-wise, I was impressed with all the performances except probably that of Mohib Mirza, the truck driver from Punjab. I think he wasn't the right-fit for the role because he visibly struggles to generate that Punjabi pang expected from him. However, this shouldn't be a hindrance in watching the film because the dialog is carried more than aptly by the rest of the cast.

The songs are refreshing, which brings me to another good point about the film; they don't last for an eternity and just are fleeting occurrences during scenes to accentuate the emotions.

All in all, Dukhtar is easily the best film to come out of Pakistan in 2014. It might not see the commercial success of Waar but it's story is infinitely better. A must see.

Great Cinematography...Good Acting...Weak Plot

[amir-mughal · 8/10 · 19 September 2014]

Dukhtar (دختر) "Daughter" is a new entry in emerging independent Pakistani Cinema. I was expecting it would be 3 hrs flick and first half of the movie will be based on the issues of "Dushmani" and "Jirga" and second half 'll be about their escape.

But Director concluded the "Dushmani" issue in first 15/20 minutes. (Thank You Afia Nathaniel).

Then we came across the astonishing beauty of northern areas of Pakistan...the mountains...The Ford Truck...Karakorum Highway....Plateaus...great frames and great colors filled with thrill of situation...innocence of characters...reality based sounds....

Seems...you are enjoying....but suddenly it ended....means film ended in a very unclear way....Therefore I said plot is weak.

Acting of Samiya Mumtaz (اللہ رکھی) is really good. Supporting characters also played well (Ajab Gull, Mohib Mirza).

Overall a good effort and good movie for art lover and serious audience. (Not just for sake of entertainment)

good movie, definitely worth watching on Cinema

[armagan_akram · 8/10 · 27 April 2015]

too often I end up going to cinema watching a Hollywood movie you pay £10 for and its rubbish. Dukhtar barely made any noise in Marketing when it came out, I had to go find out the details myself, but its a gem.

Part of "the new wave of Pakistani Cinema", this movie along with others like Waar, Bol and Khuda ke liyeh are making a name and quality niche for Pakistan's film industry. It seems to have been released in very small circulation in the UK as Pakistani films are not always in demand, but I highly recommend everyone to watch it. If like me you like movies with different stories, not the usual bollywood dance and dishoom trash, this should be your next movie. It appeals as it's a very Pakistani story and one that opens a door to world about women's lives in Pakistan.

If you are thinking about watching a movie, don't miss this one.

Some WOUNDS can leave a SCAR!!!

[aurangzab2005 · 7/10 · 29 March 2020]

Curtains opens with a shot of an endless lake and a woman in white, floats in a red boat across the water like an angle. One wont understand this until the end, when see it again.

Set in the rural mountains of northern Pakistan where tribal rules govern everything and practice of child brides is still in effect.

This movie captures several aspects of person esp girls life; her dreams, while living in a tribal area with limited exposure to surroundings, friends that can be cpunted of fingertips and then mother, who is the primary love and companion of a daughter and can live upto any extent in order to save her child from any upcoming.

Two totally different kind of Males, First one; traditionally who are the ruler of the family and deals with the issues according to their own mind, can give verdict of a womens life without consent and treat them as a property. Second one, who himself have been through alot in his life, gaveup war because of love and ready to sacrifice his own life and freedom in order to help someone in need of the hour.

Samiya Mumtaz as Allah Rakhi has accepted her existence as a wife in a traditional world where she has no rights. Then her innocent daughter Zainab who is just a 10 year old child and is in 5th grade, plays happily in home and dreams of marrying a prince; is promised in marriage to the head of a rival tribe as a peace offering. She takes her daughter and runs. Mohib Mirza as Sohail who is a truck driver, with limited resources helps them escape and provides them a shelter.

The cast has brilliantly performed there specified characters.

The cinematography, landscapes and mesmerizing views of our Northern Pakistan and there lifestyle and then crowded lively streets of Lahore, every scenes captures an essence which is difficult to explain in words.

The film offers an open ending which might be difficult for many viewer to swallow, the fate of the girl is undescribed, you can imagine what can happen furture according to your own mindset and hope that ALLAH will be his best to ease life for Zainab.

Frankly according to me there is nothing bad in traditional tribal life style, but when it comes to gender divisions; a women must and should have the liberty to choose her dreams, what she wants to do with her life, it includes from her education, intellect, school of thoughts to selection of spouse and life after marriage, keeping in mind certain barriers which are given to us from our religion, and these barriers are for both men and women.

I simply loved this movies and its my humble request to everyone; as our industry is rising from the ashes, please watch the movie and support.

Just on the verge of being a decent film

[mehdi_assad · 6/10 · 4 June 2016]

Let me start the review by saying that if this movie was to be judged on the basis of visuals , it comes in par with some of the best internationally ,but some poor casting choices and lame screen play along with novice dialogues it made it a just an OK film , it had the potential to be a bench mark film , the subject of the film was very powerful which deserved a powerful presentation , the film started great but as soon as Mohib Mirza appeared the whole mood of the film was destroyed , Ajab Gul and Saleha Aref were the only two castings that did justice to their roles , Samiya Mumtaz is a good actress but she was not into the character properly, her accent kept changing in the whole film .Overall its good that Pakistan cinema is at least trying to make its own impression and it will improve with time .

A winner in every sense!

[blsatif2014 · 10/10 · 9 October 2014]

So the Busan International Film Festival 2014 started with a rock. There are so many flicks being played and people are queuing up to buy the left over tickets. When I first started to scroll through the list of the movies that were going to come on at the BIFF I was pretty uninterested in all of them until I saw Dukhtar in the list. I have been hearing a lot of good things about this movie from my friends in Pakistan. I was surprised and mostly excited to find that the movie will be showing at the BIFF.

The movie started of great. The cinematography was breath taking. The locations are memorizing and brought back memories of all those places I had visited few years back during my trip to Pakistan.

The story was well penned and the characters were well groomed. I felt connected to them and understood their emotions. The story is very true to life and makes you want to sympathize with all the victims. I liked the fact the movie didn't drag for too long and it ended at good point, anything more than that would have been a more obvious cliché.

Music of the movie was great. Songs composer Sahir Ali Bagga, has done a brilliant job at composing the songs. I am still humming the tunes after leaving the theater. Background score by Peter Nashel makes the hair at back of your neck stand up, of course in a good way.

I am not going to talk about the overall plot of the movie, as most of you know by now what it is about. Overall the movie is a must watch! And why is it a good movie because at the BIFF after the movie ended the whole audience in the theater stood up and applauded. That was brilliant moment and if we were allowed to use cameras in the room I would have recorded that moment. Some Koreans thought it was an Indian movie, and before I could turn around and correct them, one westerner corrected them by saying, "I am sorry, but you are wrong. This movie is from Pakistan."

Decide it for yourself. I loved it.

Beautiful & Colorful, a Treat for the Eyes

[mb62020 · 7/10 · 3 October 2014]

Beautiful & Colorful Movie. Specially the Natural Beauty of Northern Areas of Pakistan makes it a treat for the eyes.

This can be the best source to Promote the Tourism in Pakistan.

with some improvements & proper marketing this movie can be 1000s times better. it has beautiful songs but in movie they are only few seconds long. at some places it becomes slight boring due to lack of background music & sound effects.

till now i think its the only choice for Pakistani Nomination for Oscars this year

p.s its not a common commercial type movie, its something like Pakistani TV Drama with a message for everyone.

One of the finest Movie in Pakistan's Cinematic History!

[othmandola · 9/10 · 18 September 2016]

I heard of this movie in 2014 and it has Thrown a decent trailer back then, As i know Dukhtar (Daughter) has not much publicity at the time. i didn't expect much from from it. So when it came out i haven't Go to theater to see this movie and i didn't heard of this movie from any friend, until i saw in the news paper that this movie gained such selection in several film festival also good ratings and positive reviews. by the time it was long gone from theater. so i waited for it come out on DVD/Blu-ray and finally it has arrived. and when i saw it I just really surprised that they made such movie with magnificent Performance by actors/Actress and an amazing soundtrack with excellent Direction. I mean the shooting angle and screenplay are really impressive. I know Most of the people doesn't know about it or they just simply don't wanna see a Drama movie. This movie is really a good one!

gorgeous but with a disappointing ending

[tsimshotsui · 11 July 2017]

Gorgeously shot film of a mother and daughter going around the stunning Pakistani scenery and landscapes after they escape an arranged marriage to an overaged groom. They do get very lucky (and maybe too lucky) by meeting someone who turns out to be an amazing person along the way and helps them for the rest of the film. I would have praised how the filmmakers chose not to go the heavy, violent, tragic route which is the more usual with these narratives, but the undeserved ending takes those compliments away. Nevertheless, the film is brilliantly acted, and a pleasure to watch for most of its runtime.

A good pakistani movie

[DogeGamer2015 · 6/10 · 2 August 2020]

It is a tense film, which portrays the reality that women suffer.

Good visuals. Week acting. No Plot. A wasted chance

[badar1981 · 3/10 · 11 October 2014]

I was waiting for this movie. I thought that this will be the movie as Shermeen Oboid Chenoi speaks of this. But to be honest it is disappointing on all fronts. On top of that it is more disappointing that it is send as official nominee in Academy Awards from Pakistan for Foreign movie.

No plot, direction as week (one can live with that as it is the first offering from Aafia but it is bad, real bad) and it all makes no sense whatsoever. Story wanders abruptly with turning points so wayward that towards end it lost all.

There is no acting. A real waste of all the big names in movie. Also, casting could have been better.

The only positive was the music. Specially the song from Rahat is really Good. And that is all about it.

Note: Save your time and watch something good.

A Pakistani adventure

[euroGary · 8/10 · 5 November 2014]

In the Pakistani mountains, a mother learns her young daughter is to be married to the ageing warlord of another clan. The child is heart-breakingly innocent (seeing her mother's bridal bed-linen, she asks what a spot on it is and listens as her mother explains it is her blood, and her mother's, and her grandmother's...) The mother runs away with the child, and men of both clans - focused on their 'honour' - chase after the pair.

The film then enters predictable territory, as mother and daughter receive help from a kindly truck driver, innocent people are killed, and amazingly stupid decisions are made (why, knowing men with guns are hunting for them, would the mother leave her daughter alone? It was *asking* for her to run off after the cute puppy...)

So the novelty of this film is its setting: Pakistan, caught between the traditional (child brides) and the modern (warlords communicating by mobile telephone). Lead actress Samiya Mumtaz gives a competent performance; as the truck driver, Mohib Mirza is fine when playing the action hero and in the more light-hearted bits, but struggles when required to convincingly emote. The initial escape is cleverly-staged and the scenery is lovely. I'd watch this again.

a nice move for every person

[isabeljack · 6/10 · 26 June 2015]

I was sitting tight for this motion picture. I believed that this will be the film as Shermeen Oboid Chenoi talks about this. In any case, in all honesty it is disillusioning on all fronts. On top of that it is all the more baffling that it is send as official chosen one in Foundation Honors from Pakistan for Outside motion picture.

No plot, bearing as week (one can live with that as it is the first offering from Aafia however it is awful, genuine terrible) and it all has neither rhyme nor reason. Story meanders unexpectedly with defining moments so wayward that towards end it lost all.

There is no acting. A genuine misuse of all the huge names in film. Additionally, throwing could have been something more,as Pakistani situation is worst about the women and due to poor governance and lack of education so in this circumstances this movie has brought a revolutionary changes in the people mind in Pakistan and most important and they put a great work on costumes etc which is i think they got from http://www.fashion2015-2016.com you can see their costumes in it and check their simplicity in their work due to their smart work thats why they got hit film in Pakistan

A Total Waste of Time

[hamzaumer13111 · 4/10 · 12 September 2016]

I Watched this Movie with High Hopes and believed it would be a Good Movie.But My Hopes were crushed as it was one of the worst movies I had ever seen in Cinema.But what would you expect from a Pakistani Movie anyways.Pakistan Cinema is Too stale the Movies they make have depressing story lines,majority of them related to Extremism and issues related to Sufferings and Rights of Women in Pakistan.Now a Common Pakistani who already has no Real Entertainment besides Cinema would want to go to a Cinema to have a few Laughs and leave it with a Cinema,but movies like these make him Depressed .Dukhtar has a week plot,Very Poor Average Acting and not good Music.Plus the Camera work and Editing has been done in a very school boy manner.

Exquisite cinematography and strong acting compensate...

[samabc-31952 · 7/10 · 18 April 2021]

"Can I walk on the rainbow? " Dukhtar in Urdu means Daughter.

This was a Pakistan's official entry to the 87th Oscar.

A mother's struggle to keep her daughter away from a life of pains and sufferings that she too has undergone and not to let anything impede her dreams ... although it fails to hold the pieces together and lacks the depth that the story demands, but the exquisite cinematography and acting esp by Mumtaz who plays the protagonist compensate for the cliche tropes and make this movie nearly a great watch...

Moving and well acted

[priyanka-17164 · 10/10 · 12 August 2017]

Wow. I loved watching this film. I wouldn't say it tackles a social problem or delivers a message exactly, the performances are far too moving and personal to be about anything other than the story of this mother and daughter. And that is an anecdote to how good the performances are. Extremely moving film it makes you feel what the mother is feeling during so many scenes. A must watch.

Good could have been Great

[yuit234 · 9/10 · 25 September 2018]

Interesting movie, but it could have been great. Probably needed another 30-45 mins added to the film to give it more depth and built the characters in the movie. I think the dialogue of the movie could have been more hard hitting. I liked the movie, but i think it could have been as great as Bol, which for me hit all the right button and at the right time. Still enjoyed it, just a pity of what it could have been,

Hidden gem

[qphuong-57153 · 9/10 · 21 January 2022]

Watched this movie due to a recommendation from a coworker. First off, it was wonderful. Secondly its directed by a minority women with a powerful voice that translates to film. The viewing was refreshing and a break from the status quo hollywood movies.

For more realistic works and for more freedom...

[RosanaBotafogo · 10/10 · 20 August 2021]

What a tense and intense film, the arid climate, the macho patriarchy, a bizarre tradition, contrasting with the beautiful and colorful clothes of mother and daughter, and their laughs, and joys, the bus, the film that anguishes from beginning to end, already foreseeing the worst, the announced tragedy, but with that thread of hope, in the driver, in the "love" of the brother-in-law, in the grandmother, in short, everything so painful, humiliating, unreasonable, unbelievable, a fantastic and necessary production, for more realistic works and for more freedom...

Beautiful scenery, excellent acting, subtlety in the issue of child marriage

[jillianmourning · 9/10 · 11 May 2022]

I loved this film. The beginning sets you the strong mother/daughter relationship where both characters exude their love, friendship, and connection. This relationship continues throughout the duration of the film and feels like the main focus. The issue of arranged child brides/marriages is secondary. You have just enough set up to understand the pain of the issue and the blatant violation of human rights to promise a 10 year old to someone who is likely in his 60s or older. The issue isn't enough in your face to feel like a pure human rights film; yet enough that it makes the audience process this human rights abuse.

The colors of their wardrobe and Soheil's truck contrasting with the landscapes of the Northern Pakistani mountains create a stunning visual.

The plot is subtle, but more than delivers enough suspense to want to watch the story unfold as you hope for a somewhat happy western ending, yet the reality is true stories like this often don't have a happy ending, allowing for either ending to feel appropriate.