Shahmoon Abbasi recently dropped the trailer of his upcoming film ‘Durj’ and it’s definitely an eye opener. Based on a true story of two brothers earthing dead bodies in Punjab and eating their flesh, Shamoon himself is the protagonist embodied as a cannibal. Although the film actually focuses on a cannibal couple instead, it reveals the harsh realities of the two man eaters and offers an insight into their dark world. It seems we will witness something which has never been done before in the Pakistani film industry, thus making the experience stimulating for all the avid movie watchers. 
The trailer itself doesn’t give too much away which intensifies the curiosity of the viewers. The plot of the film revolves around more than just cannibalism. It involves three stories which run simultaneously and seem to coincide at some point. The trailer begins with Myra Khan narrating the story of how her husband mysteriously got kidnapped by who she believes were cannibals. Unsettling yet intriguing visuals of skulls, blood and corpses swiftly flash on screen while the police attempt to chase the criminal behind the heinous crime. Not only this, the trailer of Durj is loaded with impactful and chilling dialogues which contributes to the exciting outlook of the film. 
Shahmoon revealed to IMAGES (Dawn) that the films script was changed 5 to 6 times and research took place over a period of two years due to the vast amount of stories his team had to research on. Apart from the story of two brothers digging graves and eating the flesh of dead bodies, the story of a man from Karachi raping fresh female corpses and walking freely in the country is what struck him. Abbasi wanted to create awareness regarding these issues which are present in our nation but aren’t highlighted as much as they should be. He also unveiled how much effort it took him to embody his character. Abbasi refused to wear a wig in the film and said that it took him 2 years to grow a thick beard and 3 months to grow his nails which evidently were the essence of his look. The way Shahmoon performed in the trailer really proves his capabilities as an actor and how talented he is. Even if he didn’t have a dialogue, just the way he looked into the camera was bone chilling. Him and his co-star/ love interest in the film Sherry Shah didn’t socialize or attend parties before the shooting of the film as they wanted to encapsulate the characteristics of their characters to the fullest. Sherry also shaved her head and gained 40 pounds to fully get into the shoes of her character. Playing such diverse roles is a challenge as it is important to understand the psychology of the role. 
Such dedication and hard work is what Pakistani cinema needs desperately. The trailer was impressive on multiple levels and left us wanting to watch more. Durj is set to release in 2019 but the exact date is yet to be announced. Watch the epic trailer down below:
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