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.
