Review: 'Cake' will leave you deliciously satisfied
The symbolic name - Cake - says it all for the movie, which has many flavours with the inside filled with delicious surprises. Photo: YouTube screengrab
As the saying goes, “You don’t choose your family”, you work with what you have and make the best out of it" - this is the only way to explain, in short, what the story of the recently released Pakistani movie ‘Cake’ means.
Released nationwide on March 30, Cake is not just an overdose of sugar; it offers countless tiers of emotion, laughter, love, sibling rivalry, family dynamics and most of all it is about what ‘adulting’ means. The symbolic name - Cake - says it all for the movie, which has many flavours with the inside filled with delicious surprises.
With a spectacular star cast, the movie revolves around a Sindhi family with ageing parents, middle-aged children, hidden secrets of the past and skeletons in the closet, and coping with all that an entire family drama.
Director Asim Abbasi’s hard work reflects in all the characters and their personalities, you laugh and cry with them. Photo: YouTube Screengrab
Cake is more of a narration of what family means and how you live with them.
Director Asim Abbasi’s hard work reflects in all the characters and their personalities, you laugh and cry with them.
Kudos to Abbasi’s perfection. He has portrayed those small details that remain in many people’s memories for a long time, such as coming back to your room after years and finding it in the same way as you left it; a treasure of small prized collections that takes you back in time when you were carefree; going through scrapbooks with cut-out faces of movie actors or the uniform signed with farewell autographs. Each detail makes you smile and feel connected to the characters.
Cake’s topping was the script, storytelling, the raw acting, especially from supporting actors Syed Mohammad Ahmed, and Beo Raana Zafar who portrayed the ageing parents - something watching which you will cry one way or other.
Amna Sheikh seen in the character of Zareen, the middle sibling, bossy, responsible, the caretaker of everything, has left behind her ambitions but still loves to bake. Sheikh’s character is often seen remembering her childhood, which reflects on how she felt safe in that zone than her present. Sheikh was spectacular and flawless.
Amna Sheikh has flawlessly portrayed a challenging role of Zareen in the movie. Photo: YouTube Screengrab
Sanam Saeed as Zara – the youngest sibling, is fighting her past, trying to move on and let go of an incident that changed her life.
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Sanam Saeed’s role struggles to reveal the hidden truth about her past while coping with her present challenges. Photo: YouTube screengrab
Debuting on the silver screen, Adnan Malik as Romeo is often silent yet is the most powerful character of the movie. Malik proved that even without saying much his presence is what makes the family connect with each other.
Faris Khalid plays Zain, the elder brother who is much of an absent son in the lives of the parents.
The family embarks on a journey after an incident, which brings all the characters together, and is forced to unveil hidden secrets of the past.
With a suburban Karachi life to the scenic untouched beauty of Sindh’s rural life, Cake has unearthed some of the unseen locations of Pakistan. The cinematography fell in perfectly with all the scenes, Mo Azmi did a brilliant job.
The cherry on the top for Cake was its music score by Saif Samjeo, especially the classic Tiri Pawanda. Samejo’s genius work has connected the music perfectly with the movie.
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With beautiful music score and raw dialogues, Cake will move everyone with the storyline. Photo: YouTube screengrab
Grab a box of tissue because you will need one, with the impactful story that will leave everyone moved.
Cake has definitely raised the bar for Pakistani cinema. The film will be remembered for decades and most people including me will go watch it once more to feel the power of familial bonds.
