Fully titled, Chambaili: the Fragrance of Freedom, the film has been written and co-produced by Shahzad Nawaz and directed by Ismail Jilani. Set against a political backdrop, the film purports itself to be a ‘saga of courage, romance and sacrifice of a group of friends who are led by circumstances and incidents to find themselves at the crossroads of fate’. Some of the actors starring in the film include Salman Peerzada, Khalid Ahmed, Maira Khan, Shafqat Cheema, Omair Rana, Sadia Hayat, Saiqa Khayyam, Ali Tahir, Ehtisham, Khalid Qureshi, Fatima, Ali Fateh, Humayun Bin Rathor and Shahzad Nawaz with a special guest appearance by Ghulam Mohiuddin.
“This is a 100 per cent Pakistani film and we take great pride in saying that,” said the director while introducing the film. “The revival of cinema doesn’t take place with one film or by corporate-sponsored projects on TV. How is the corporate sector going to bring about a revival? They’re here to sell products.”
“What does a film have anything to do with TV?” he questioned, “There will be a revival of cinema when we start treating films like films.” “When I made this film I only had Rs7,000 with me,” the filmmaker said hinting at the struggle involved in making the film. “Yet I believe it’s the biggest film ever produced in the country,” he said. “Every intelligent person told me that this would sink. But when you connect with your soul, you lose the fear of losing. Every time the film ran out of money, it came in from somewhere,” he said.