User Reviews

Billed as Pakistan's first 'film noir' (although I believe it is a UK/Pakistani co-production), this release definitely doesn't fit the mould of recent films from there and it's good to see production companies willing to take a risk with this kind of venture. Based on a well-known Anthony Shaffer play and therefore comparisons with the three previous films are inevitable; the two Michael Caine starring ones and the made-for-TV West Bengali adaptation. All three had their moments, as does this version and it's interesting that this is the second from the sub-continent albeit obviously aimed at a much wider audience than a TV movie. The fact it is set in Pakistan seems to be incidental as there are hardly any cultural references (or at least any I could pick up); it comes across, possibly intentionally, as a "stateless" suspense drama. This is no bad thing and may actually support its penetration into international film festivals that may have shied away from selecting an Urdu release, given their patchy quality in recent years. The film is not without its flaws; I found some of the pop/rock music numbers, though good, slightly distracting to the narrative in places but appreciate that these are almost obligatory and a necessary evil for the promotion of the film in some territories. Thankfully we're spared big glossy item numbers– something that detracted in another Pakistani film, Bol. The two leads, Salman Shahid as the older character and Omair Rana as the younger, bounce well of each other although some of the dialogue— in particular where they discuss the possibility of Rana's character being caught— seems contrived; more so than in the older adaptations. Shahid's first wife's character was also intriguing and a pleasant expansion from the original story. If you have an interest in south Asian cinema, this, although not perfect, is a good 'variation of' to sample.

The film's opening credits acknowledge Tamanna as a 'transformation' of the British play Sleuth by Anthony Shaffer, which is basically a story about two men (Shahid and Rana), trying to out do each other in a fight over a woman, in what was labelled as a Neo-Noir drama. The film is on it's own in this genre, everything else being made in the last decade falling into either the Political/Action (O21 or Waar) or Poiltical/Issue (Khuda Kil leya or Dukhtar) based genres. The only one that could be included would be Zinda Baag.

I watched the film as part of the London Asian Film Festival at the Tricycle theatre, and then heard the director speak on BBC Three Counties radio about the film. I was interested, having spent some time in the country a while ago. This is also, I believe the first film made by a foreigner in Pakistan (or any developing country?) for a local audience.

Tamanna and Sleuth have the same major story twist; a battle of wits between the male characters, but Tamanna has a new spin that not only adds female characters, but makes a woman the viewpoint character and narrator. The older wife is the only character who doesn't lose everything in this dark tale, and it is implied in her own narration, that she set the others up from the start.

The story is set in the death throes of Lollywood, Pakistan's film industry, making the film likely set around early 2000, before the so called 'revival' which started around 2007. The older man is a rich and successful film director, the story takes place in his vast country mansion and the struggle is over 'ownership' of his much younger and pretty estranged wife (Raheal). The other man is a young aspiring actor from a humble background, a device that was used by Pinter in his Sleuth adaptation from 2007.

This adaptation is a vehicle for what is almost a parody of the Pakistani/Lahori Elite, the fact that they are from the Lollywood film industry is just an added point of interest, they could have be poets or sculptors. It makes no difference as the contrast is between the rich elite and the new educated middle class. It does however also add what is another original feature of this adaptation which is a middle section of archival film footage showing the characters in a film within a film style.

Tamanna has a slow, almost hypnotic beginning, and takes a while to start the story. The film's single location is used to good effect. The house feels isolated in the chilly mist (odd for a country we associate with hot weather), and the whole thing has a nowhere/anywhere feel to it. The film is dense and moves along quickly once it gets going, using an almost encyclopedic range of techniques in the story and the visuals. Sometimes the low budget shows through the cracks (just $80,000 according to wikipedia) but all in all it is a very smart adaptation to of a Western story to a Muslim and specifically Pakistani/Lahori culture and a watchable art house drama.