Emmad Irfani is a rebel with a cause in his debut film ‘Gawah Rehna’

The first look of Emmad Irfani and Ghana Ali’s Gawah Rehna based on the Khilafat Movement is out.

Emmad, who stole the audiences with his performance in Cheekh, shared the poster on Instagram.

According to the film’s official social media account, Gawah Rehna “is a story celebrating our history and our unsung heroes.” It is set in the 1900s when the Muslims of the subcontinent stood up against the British Raj and started the Khilafat Movement.

“It is a story of courage, hope and resilience against incredible odds and that’s why it will make its viewers proud of their history and their heroes who stood up against tyranny and injustice.”

The film is written and directed by Tahir Mahmood who has served as an official of the Foreign Service in Turkey. It will be released in Pakistan and Turkey both. Earlier, it was being reported that the film is a joint production with Turkey but Emmad later clarified that the film is entirely a local production and that it will be released in Turkey. Veteran actor Qavi Khan is also an integral part of the film. An official release date has not been announced.

Meanwhile, speaking exclusively to The Current, Emmad shared that the vision for the film came about when the director was living in Turkey. Mahmood was intrigued by the respect the Turks have for the Pakistanis and that is what motivated him to study the history of the two countries. He found that the brotherly ties of both the countries date back to the early twentieth century and the findings fascinated so much that he decided to make a film on it to further the ties between the two countries as well as highlight them.

Talking about his own character, Emmad said that his character belongs to interior Punjab and through the course of the film realises his life goal and purpose.

When asked what motivated him to do this project, given that it is his debut film, Emmad said that he wanted to highlight Pakistan’s history and that films are a very powerful medium to do that.

“Much of the subcontinent’s history has been presented to the world through Bollywood. Pakistan’s point of view is not known as such,” the actor remarked, adding that our history it is imperative for the world to see our history.

Irfani also said that the strong script and the director’s blind faith and passion is what motivated him even further.

Here are some BTS shots from the sets of the film.