Cake (2018 film)
Cake is a 2018 Pakistani comedy drama film which is directed by Asim Abbasi. The film is produced by Syed Zulfikar Bukhari and is a joint production by Asim Abbasi's United Kingdom based production company Indus Talkies, and a Pakistani film production company ZAB Films. The film stars Sanam Saeed and Aamina Sheikh as lead characters alongside Adnan Malik who has made his film debut.
A five-part prolog webisodes short-series has also been released on YouTube, focusing on the lives of Zara and Adnan in London. It was selected as the Pakistani entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Plot
"Cake" a story about love, loss and passage of time. The story is something we all can relate to in some way. We have seen globalization, children moving away and the rivalry between siblings. It's a story about love, loss and life and death - all the things that we are familiar with. It's about two sisters, one of whom lives abroad and the other is left behind here. It showcases their conflicts in dealing with their relationships.Cast
- Aamina Sheikh as Zareen
- Sanam Saeed as Zara
- Adnan Malik as Romeo
- Faris Khalid as Zain
- Hira Hussain as Sana
- Syed Mohammad Ahmed as Zareen's father
- Beo Zafar as Zareen's mother
- Mohammad Ahmed
- Mikaal Zulfiqar
- Gianbruno Spena as Adnan
Production
Filming
The majority of the filming has been in Karachi and interior Sindh, as well as London.In a first for Pakistani cinema, the climax scene of the film is a 10 minutes continuous, one take shot with no edits, spanning multiple rooms and multiple characters. In an interview, actress Aamina Sheikh who played Zareen, share that experience
Release
Promotions
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.Home media
The film was made available as VOD on Netflix in May 2019.Critical reception
Cake was released all over 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."
Mike Cahill of The Guardian gave it 4/5 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."
Shahjehan Saleem of Something Haute gave it 4.5/5 stars "Cake shines as a prime example of acting, cinematography, great music, and impeccable direction assimilating into perfection on the silver screen."
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."
Rahul Aijaz of The Express Tribune gave it 4.5/5 stars. "One slice just won't be enough"
Box office
The film did well at the box office, collecting around worldwide.Awards and nominations
The film was showcased at London Asian Film Festival or nowadays 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 | rowspan="2" |
| 8th annual South Asian Film Festival of Montreal | Best Feature - Fiction | Sayed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari | - |
| 18th Lux Style Awards | Best Film | Sayed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari | |
| 18th Lux Style Awards | Best Director | Asim Abbasi | rowspan="4" |
| 18th Lux Style Awards | Best Actor | Adnan Malik | - |
| 18th Lux Style Awards | Best Actress | Aamina Sheikh | - |
| 18th Lux Style Awards | Best Playback Singer | The Sketches and Natasha Baig for "Meri Dunya" | - |
| 5th Galaxy Lollywood Awards | Best Film | Sayed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari | rowspan="12" |
| 5th Galaxy Lollywood Awards | Best Director | Asim Abbasi | - |
| 5th Galaxy Lollywood Awards | Best Story | Asim Abbasi | - |
| 5th Galaxy Lollywood Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role Female | Aamina Sheikh | - |
| 5th Galaxy Lollywood Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role Male | Adnan Malik | - |
| 5th Galaxy Lollywood Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role Male | Syed Mohammad Ahmed | - |
| 5th Galaxy Lollywood Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role Female | Beo Rana Zafar | - |
| 5th Galaxy Lollywood Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role Female | Sanam Saeed | - |
| 5th Galaxy Lollywood Awards | Best Male Debut | Adnan Malik | - |
| 5th Galaxy Lollywood Awards | Best Playbak Singer Male | The Scteches - "Meri Dunya" | - |
| 5th Galaxy Lollywood Awards | Best Lyricist | The Scteches - "Meri Dunya" | - |
| 5th Galaxy Lollywood Awards | Best Music | The Scetches | - |