Cake (2018 film)

2018 Pakistani film

Cake

Directed by| Asim Abbasi
Written by| Asim Abbasi
Produced by| Sayed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari
Starring| Sanam Saeed
Aamina Sheikh
Adnan Malik
Beo Zafar
Syed Muhammad Ahmad
Cinematography| Mo Azmi
Edited by| Aarti Bajaj
Music by| The Sketches

Production
companies

Indus Takies
ZAB Films

Distributed by| B4U Motion Pictures
Excellency Films

Release date

* 13 April 2018 (2018-04-13) (Pakistan)

Running time

| 125 min
Countries| Pakistan
United Kingdom
Languages| Urdu
Sindhi
Budget| Rs. 5 crore (US$170,000)[1]
Box office| Rs. 12 crore (US$420,000) (Worldwide)[2]

Cake is a 2018 Pakistani comedy drama film which is directed by Asim Abbasi.[3] The film is produced by Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari (Zulfi Bukhari) and is a joint production by Asim Abbasi's United Kingdom-based production company Indus Talkies,[4] and a Pakistani film production company ZAB Films. The film stars Sanam Saeed and Aamina Sheikh as lead characters alongside Adnan Malik in his film debut.[5]

A five-part prologue webisodes short-series was also released on YouTube, focusing on the lives of Zara and Adnan in London.[6][7] It was selected as the Pakistani entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[8]

## Cast

[edit]

* Aamina Sheikh as Zareen
* Sanam Saeed as Zara
* Adnan Malik as Romeo
* Mikaal Zulfiqar as Shehryar
* Syed Mohammad Ahmed as Zareen's father
* Beo Zafar as Habiba
* Faris Khalid as Zain
* Hira Hussain as Sana
* Gianbruno Spena as Adnan (Webisodes)

## Production

[edit]

### Filming

[edit]

The majority of the filming was done in Karachi, interior Sindh, and London.

In a first for Pakistani cinema, the climax scene of the film is a continuous 10 minute, one-take shot with no edits, spanning multiple rooms and multiple characters.[9] In an interview, actress Aamina Sheikh who played Zareen, shared that experience ''That one-take scene was not only about the actors moving – it's about the lights, camera crew, location, frames and all the invisible figures. One-takes are not used in films often, worldwide, so this was quite an experience for us.''[9]

## Release

[edit]

### Promotions

[edit]

The film is the first ever Pakistani film which had its premiere at Leicester Square, London with national and international media covering the event. The cast of the film toured Bradford where they visited Radio Sangam, Odeon Cinema Leeds, Trafford Centre, Star City and various other places for film promotion.[10]

### Home media

[edit]

The film was made available as video on demand on Netflix in May 2019.[11][12]

### Critical reception

[edit]

Cake released in Pakistan on 30 March 2018, with highly positive reviews from critics.

Areebah Shahid writing for Bolo Jawan praised the film's direction and the performances of the female protagonists, stating, "Cake stands tall among the films that Pakistan can rightly take pride in and showcase for a wider, international audience."[13]

Mike Cahill of The Guardian gave it 4 out of 5 stars. He praised Asim's debut: "Pakistani cinema has long struggled to match its Indian cousin’s commercial reach, but this impressive debut from Asim Abbasi feels like a sound bet, and even quietly revolutionary in places."[14]

Shahjehan Saleem of Something Haute gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars: "Cake shines as a prime example of acting, cinematography, great music, and impeccable direction assimilating into perfection on the silver screen."[15]

Turyal Azam Khan for The Diplomat wrote, "The strong response to the film in its home country has sent an important message to the filmmakers of Pakistan: it is okay to experiment, break barriers and test the audience. The formula is risky and might not always work, but art has no boundaries and that is what Cake displays."[16]

Rahul Aijaz of The Express Tribune gave it 4.5/5 stars. "One slice just won't be enough"[17]

### Box office

[edit]

The film was a hit at the box office, collecting around Rs. 12.5 crore worldwide .[2]

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

The film was showcased at the London Asian Film Festival, now known as the UK Asian Film Festival where it won Best Director for Asim Abbasi.

Award  | Category  | Recipients and Nominees  | Results

|
|
|

London Asian Film Festival | Best Director  | Asim Abbasi | Won
8th Annual South Asian Film Festival of Montreal  | Best Feature - Fiction  | Sayed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari
18th Lux Style Awards[18] | Best Film  | Sayed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari  | Won
Best Director  | Asim Abbasi  | Nominated
Best Actor  | Adnan Malik
Muhammad Ahmed
Best Actress  | Aamina Sheikh
Sanam Saeed
Best Playback Singer (Deducted)  | The Sketches and Natasha Baig for "Meri Dunya"
5th Galaxy Lollywood Awards
[19] | Best Film  | Sayed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari  | Pending
Best Director  | Asim Abbasi
Best Story
Best Actor in a Leading Role Female  | Aamina Sheikh
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Male  | Adnan Malik
Syed Mohammad Ahmed
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Female  | Beo Rana Zafar
Sanam Saeed
Best Male Debut  | Adnan Malik
Best Playbak Singer Male  | The Sketches - "Meri Dunya"
Best Lyricist
Best Music  | The Sketches

## Soundtrack

[edit]

All music is composed by The Sketches

Track list on YouTubeNo.| Title| Lyrics| Singer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Meri Duniya"| The Sketches| The Sketches| 4:32
2.| "Sajan Mo Khay"| Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai| Bhagat Bhoora Lal, Rajab Fakeer, Zanwar Hussain| 5:26
3.| "Bol" (Male version)|  | The Sketches| 4:47
4.| "Sartyoon"| Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai| Bhagat Bhoora Lal, Shamu Bai| 4:19
5.| "Bol" (Female version)|  | Natasha Humera Ejaz| 4:47
6.| "Tiri Pawanda" (Cover)| Shaikh Ayaz| The Sketches| 5:13
Total length:| 29:04

The film also featured "Piya Tu Ab To Aaja".

## See also

[edit]

* List of Pakistani films of 2018
* List of submissions to the 91st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
* List of Pakistani submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Mohammad Kamran Jawaid (30 December 2018). "TRADE: SO, HOW DID THE BOX OFFICE DO?". Dawn. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
2. ^ a b "CAKE The Film total earnings". 20 April 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018 - via Facebook.
3. ^ "'Cake' becomes first Pakistani film to have a world premiere in London's Leicester Square - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 15 March 2018. Archived from the original on 9 January 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
4. ^ "Indus Talkies Limited - Overview (free company information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
5. ^ Images Staff (9 February 2017). "Adnan Malik will make his film debut with Sanam Saeed and Aaminah Sheikh in 'Cake'". Images. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
6. ^ "Cake the film set to have a short prequel on Zara's life in London". Daily Pakistan Global. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
7. ^ "'Cake' to release yet another slice of the film with a prologue!". Something Haute. 18 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
8. ^ "'Cake' submitted as Pakistan's official entry to Oscars 2019". The Express Tribune. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
9. ^ a b "A 'Cake' with a different flavour - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
10. ^ "Account Suspended". www.theffjournal.com.
11. ^ "Cake". New On Netflix –USA–. May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
12. ^ "Cake". Netflix. May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
13. ^ Shahid, Areebah (31 March 2018). "Review: Cake Is A Slice Of Life Film That Should Not Be Missed!". Bolo Jawan. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
14. ^ McCahill, Mike (29 March 2018). "Cake review – Karachi sister act ditches melodrama for real life". the Guardian. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
15. ^ "Haute Review: Cake – a bittersweet taste of reality". Something Haute. 30 March 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
16. ^ Diplomat, Turyal Azam Khan, The. "Pakistan's Cinematic Revolution in the Making". The Diplomat.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
17. ^ "'Cake' review: One slice just won't be enough". The Express Tribune. 30 March 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
18. ^ "A list of everyone who went home a winner from the Lux Style Awards 2019". Dawn Images. 7 July 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
19. ^ "Luxus Grand 5th Galaxy Lollywood Awards 2019 (Nominations)". GalaxyLollywood.com. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.

## External links

[edit]

* Cake at IMDb
* Cake on Facebook
* Soundtrack on Patari.pk

* v
* t
* e

Pakistani submission for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

* Jago Hua Savera (1959)
* Ghunghat (1963)
* Zinda Bhaag (2013)
* Dukhtar (2014)
* Moor (2015)
* Mah e Mir (2016)
* Saawan (2017)
* Cake (2018)
* Laal Kabootar (2019)
* Joyland (2022)
* In Flames (2023)

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