The need for promoting children’s content is of utmost importance in any country, since it develops their personality while broadening their mental horizon as well. Storybooks, cartoons, and animated movies keep children mesmerised with the help of colourful and vibrant animations. Most of the time, the content promotes a social cause or a certain philosophy of life.
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Although content for children, both in print and electronic media, is available in Pakistan, there has always been a dire need for animated shows/movies which could bring stories to children in ways that would educate and entertain them. Oscar winning producer, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, finally bridged this gap by joining hands with ARY Films to produce Pakistan’s first full-length animated movie, 3 Bahadur.
The three protagonists of the movie are Amna, Saadi, and Kami, who unite to fight a dark force plaguing their neighbourhood, the peaceful locality of Roshan Basti. You would need to watch the movie to know who and what this dark nemesis is and how these three friends defeat it.
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The movie also explores the journey these friends take from being normal kids to becoming superheroes, during which they acquire a special power to defeat the forces of evil lurking over their peaceful town. Furthermore, the way they receive their superpowers, because they had the courage to face evil, something which no adult in Roshan Basti was able to undertake, is a treat to watch.
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The voice overs of the characters are done by Muneeba Yaseen (Amna), Hanzala Shahid (Kamil), Zuhab Khan (Saadi), and Behroze Sabzwari (Deenu). The voice overs fit in perfectly with the characters. The story is realistic and aligns with our everyday life; it highlights the importance of bravery, something that every child must learn. A line in the movie’s trailer reads,
“For the first time in Pakistan, witness the birth of courage.”The children, being the target audience of the movie, will easily be able to relate themselves to the characters and the story from the beginning until the end. 3 Bahadur has managed to develop the idea of courage in the minds of the younger viewers, especially at a time when injustice is widely prevalent in our society. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="541"]
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This movie has set new standards in Pakistani cinema, since it also falls under the genre of 3D animation, a category which has remained void for far too long. 3 Bahadur puts an exclamatory mark on the perils we face in our society, where elders are well aware of the problems, yet they do not raise their voices.
The animators of 3 Bahadur have done a great job with the characters, setting and action sequences. All these elements blend well with the dialogue and background score. The scriptwriters, on the other hand, have certainly hit the mark. The dialogues have been scripted keeping the target audience in mind, which is why the script is smooth, uses simple Urdu, and includes everyday terminology to further the motto of the movie.
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Produced by Waadi Animation, a joint venture between SOC (Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy) Films and ARY Films, 3 Bahadur is also a blend of animated content with brand placement, which serves to entertain the Pakistani mind. Viewing the behind-the-scenes video of the movie posted on Waadi Animation’s Facebook page showed that the viewers will find the presence of everyday brands blended in the movie, hence giving a noteworthy example of brand placement.
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Producing an animated movie requires numerous hours of work where animators, editors, graphic designers, voice over artists, and other crew members work in unison from scratch until the completion of the final product. This movie, however, is a testament to the potential Pakistan has in the creative genre, hence escalating the country’s movie industry to a different level.
3 Bahadur will certainly set a trend in Pakistan, as other filmmakers and animation studios who have been producing 3D serials, will begin producing full-length animated movies, uplifting the animated movie genre of Pakistan to international standards.
With the release of 3 Bahadur, one thing is certain - the children of Pakistan have already witnessed the first wave of Pakistani superheroes in the form of Amna, Saadi, and Kami.