Why Deemak’s teaser is a supernatural spectacle

At first glance, Deemak doesn’t look like your typical Pakistani film, but Rafay Rashdi’s upcoming project stands out because it's a horror story grounded in familiar surroundings. Its advanced-level VFX—essential for the genre—has made it the talk of the town. The teaser suggests the film revolves around a family living in a haunted house, and who better to capture this eerie tale than Ayesha Muzaffar, Pakistan’s premier writer of real-life ghost stories?

Featuring a star cast led by Faysal Quraishi, Sonya Hussyn, Samina Peerzada, Jawed Sheikh, Bushra Ansari, and Saman Ansari, it evokes the chilling atmosphere of The Exorcist, a tone missing from Pakistani films since Siyaah (2013).

The teaser’s international-standard execution not only revives director Rafay Rashdi’s career but also gives hope to all those filmmakers out there who have ideas but don’t have faith to execute them due to Pakistani cinema’s frail condition. It is worth exploring why Deemak could be a turning point for Pakistani cinema.

Deemak boasts of an excellent star cast

Few Pakistani films, like Zibahkhana and Siyaah, have successfully catered to horror enthusiasts as they deserve. Still, even they had to resort to the popular multicast format in the West. Deemak follows the same format by casting some of the biggest names in the country and then utilizing them as per their characters.

Famous actor Faysal Quraishi is the main lead, returning to films after over two decades in a full-fledged role. He plays the patriarch of the family that resides in the haunted house and is the person most deeply affected by what’s happening around him. Sonya Hussyn and Samina Peerzada are also part of his family, who find themselves entangled in a supernatural story that doesn't even spare the children.

It was good to see Sonya Hussayn in a meaningful role where she gets to display her acting skills. Few young actresses would take on the role of a mother, but Sonya understands the significance of such characters and would surely do justice to it. Samina Peerzada looks fantastic in her scenes, and one hopes she gets more screen time in the next teaser or trailer since she never disappoints.

Veteran actors Bushra Ansari and Jawed Sheikh may be outsiders to this family. Still, Bushra Ansari hints at playing the exorcist tasked with confronting the ‘Deemak’ in the film, while Jawed Sheikh would have something to do with the rise of the parasite. Saman Ansari also reunites with his Badshah Begum producer, and even though her role isn’t established, it seems integral to the movie.

Faysal Quraishi and Sonya Hussyn play leading roles in DeemakRana Kamran

One can’t forget the kids who are part of the family that is being haunted; thankfully, the director went for faces who suit the characters rather than known child actors, and that move will help him establish a connection with the audience when the film is released soon. Visual Effects is also one of the critical parts of the film, and the more you watch the teaser, the more you get to praise the makers behind the film who have stopped at nothing to come up with a product that is of the international level.

Rana Kamran’s cinematography matches Hollywood’s best

Rana Kamran is one of the country's finest DOPs (Director of Photography), and Deemak gives him the canvas he needs to excel. He has been part of the biggest hits in Pakistan, but most of the films he has done are rom-coms; here, he gets the creative control he requires to shine and showcases his skill in crafting suspenseful, atmospheric visuals.

DOP Rana Kamran with director Rafay RashdiRana Kamran

Some shots, like the one where Faysal Quraishi’s character is standing in front of a house that moves away from him and the Exorcist-inspired sequence, are something only Rana Kamran could have pulled off in Pakistan. The suspense needed to make a horror film stand out is also present in his frames, evident from the Jurassic Park-ish kitchen scene where the kids are stuck with the spirit somewhere around them.

Rafay Rashdi’s keep trying motto finally pays off

In 2017, Rafay Rashdi directed his debut film, Thora Jee Le, which featured Bilal Abbas Khan and Ramsha Khan in leading roles but didn’t do well at the box office. However, he didn’t lose hope and kept trying, first as the hit TV show Badshah Begum producer and later as the director of the award-winning short film Jamun Ka Darakht.

Director Rafay RashdiRana Kamran

Now, nearly eight years after his first film, he is heading back to the cinema with a more polished, haunting project that might bring the audience back to the cinemas. At a time when OTT is winning the battle of screens, Rafay Rashdi’s attempt might save Pakistan’s film industry and revive its fortunes. After all, he has invested his energy into Visual Effects, a field not many have gone into – except for Saeed Rizvi in Pakistan – and the high-quality execution will finally make him hit the jackpot.

Why Deemak restores my faith in Pakistani cinema

You might not be able to judge a book from its cover, but judging a film from its teaser is relatively easy – good teaser, good film, bad teaser, bad film. Simple. Thanks to director Rafay Rashdi, producer Syed Ali Murad, and their team, Deemak has piqued our interest in Pakistani and horror movies.

Faysal Quraishi and Bushra Ansari on locationRana Kamran

They couldn’t have asked for a better writer than Ayesha Muzaffar, who has three ghostly books to her credit – Jinnistan- Scary Stories to Tell over Chai, The Bhabis of Lahore, and From Aunty Ayesha and the Jinns with Love: Decoding Desi Marriages. Add to that the presence of Content Executives Syed Nabeel & Shahid Nizami, who smoothly initiated the horror-styled dramas on TV.

Together, they have come up with a product that might not only promise to thrill and chill the audiences but also has the potential to redefine the perception of Pakistani cinema as more than just rom-coms.