Teefa in Trouble

Introduction of Teefa in Trouble:

2018 saw the release of Teefa in Trouble, a romantic action comedy from Pakistan (Urdu: طیفا اِن ٹرَبل). Ahsan Rahim, who is well-known for helming music videos and TV ads using multiple Pakistani singers under his Tadpole Films label, is making his directorial debut with the movie. Maya Ali and Ali Zafar, who both made their debuts in Pakistani cinema, are featured in it. It is also Zafar’s first movie under Lightingale Productions.
Pre-production of Teefa in Trouble got underway in 2016 with the story and script written by Zafar, Rahim, and Danyal Zafar. Between February 18 and July 26, 2017, Lahore and Warsaw hosted the main photographic sessions. The film score was composed by Shani Arshad, while Ali Zafar also wrote the soundtrack. On July 20, 2018, Teefa in Trouble came out.

Mandviwalla Entertainment and Geo Films handled the countrywide distribution of Teefa in Trouble. This marks Yash Raj Films’ first overseas release of a non-Indian movie. It was one of the priciest Pakistani films ever filmed when it was released. Notwithstanding subsequent demonstrations and movie piracy, it became the third Pakistani film to surpass the Rs. 50 crore milestone.

Cast:

Ali Zafar

Lateef "Teefa"

Maya Ali

Anya

Jawed Sheikh

Bonzo

Tom Coulston

Andy

Marhoom Ahmad Bilal

Billu Batt

Mahenur Haider

Sara

Mehmood Aslam

Butt Sahab

Asma Abbas

Mrs. Butt

Nayyer Ejaz

Sheikh Sahab

Seemi Raheel

Baybae

Salman Bokhari

Shikra

Storyline:

Teefa, a clever youngster from a middle-class Lahori family, is the main character of the novel. His father left him an orphan when he was a small child, and his mother reared him. Teefa’s childhood was poor, therefore power and money are the only things that are important to him as he enters the world of crime through the unscrupulous business trader and local gangster Butt Sahab.
Bonzo, a childhood friend of Butt Sahab, is the proud and unyielding father of Anya. He is a multimillionaire and prosperous businessman who resides in Warsaw, Poland. Bonzo declines Butt Sahab’s proposal to marry his silly and spoiled son Billu Butt to the alluring Anya, preferring to leverage his daughter’s marriage to the son of another Pakistani billionaire, Mr Bajwa, to expand his network. Anya, meantime, is secretly in love with her Polish friend Andy and is unsuccessful in avoiding her father’s and her cunning stepmother Sophie’s persistent marital nagging. At last, she yields to her father’s insistence.
Outraged that Bonzo would not take his son’s hand in marriage, Butt Sahab recruits Teefa to board the first plane to Warsaw, abduct Anya, and return her to Pakistan to set up his son’s marriage to her. Teefa initially objects to the work, but when he is paid Rs. 10 lakh, he agrees to undertake it. When he lands in Poland, his hilarious buddy Tony assists him with the mission. Due to their lack of prior experience, neither of them has any clever preparations for the kidnapping.

On the day of Anya’s wedding, they break into her family’s house without permission and discover that she intends to flee. In an unbelievable turn of events, Anya even agrees to let them simulate her kidnapping, which makes their work easier. Once the three are on the run and moving from place to place to avoid Bonzo’s army of guards, the narrative takes several hilarious turns. When Teefa starts to detect that he is falling in love with Anya, and Anya begins to gradually grow attached to him as well, he finds himself in “trouble”.

When a heartbroken Anya finally realizes the moment of truth, their escape quest comes to an end in Lahore, where she follows him. Teefa chooses to clear things up to save money, even at the expense of lying, and must now choose between love and money. The chase is far from finished since they have to outsmart Bonzo and his guards who are right following them, as well as Butt and his henchmen.

Teefa can assist Anya in boarding a train, which leads her to Andy after they temporarily escape Bonzo and Butt Sahab. After the train leaves, Teefa runs into Bonzo and Butt Sahab along with their bodyguards and goons. Teefa is hurt during the altercation and collapses on the ground, unconscious. When Teefa wakes up and battles his way across the train, the group finds Anya on the train and they start squabbling over who gets to travel with her. Amidst the chaos, Anya queries why a woman is unable to carry out her desires. Sheikh Sahab, an adversary of Butt Sahab, kidnaps Anya during their argument.

Teefa defends Bonzo by fighting alongside his soldiers and even taking a gunshot to the shoulder. After several clashes and arguments, Teefa jumps to save Anya when she slips off the train, and the two of them plunge into a lake. When they get to the surface, they both tell each other how they feel. Following an intense discussion, Teefa appears to give in to his injuries after understanding he has served his mission.

It becomes clear in the aftermath that Teefa was only hurt and did not die. Everyone is delighted after he prepares a delectable dinner: Anya and Teefa are content to be together, Billu is married, and Bonzo and Butt Sahab are buddies. Before the last scene, which features Sheikh Sahab and his thugs in prison, Teefa shows Anya a billboard that reads “Teefay de Tikkay” (Teefa’s Grilled Chicken).

Filming of Teefa in Trouble:

Ali Zafar disclosed to Dawn in 2014 that “Ahsan Rahim” would be directing his debut Pakistani feature. Zafar set up a studio in September 2015, naming it Lightingale Studios, in his new home. The Express Tribune stated that Zafar and Rahim announced the movie on October 18, 2016. Zafar has acted in various Indian films and had a small part in Lahore Se Aagey, but this is his first starring role in a Pakistani movie. Rahim had already directed a few Zafar music videos.

The lead actress Maya Ali’s name was disclosed by Zafar on January 27, 2017, along with the film’s title on January 20. Her reputation on Indian television increased after her drama Aunn Zara, in which she starred, aired. She is well-known for her several Pakistani plays. “It took me a while” to finish her debut film, she said to The News, because “I don’t want people to relate it to any of my previous work(s)”. This movie, according to Zafar, will demonstrate “what all she is capable of.”

I started filming Teefa in Trouble on February 18. The first spell, which lasted for roughly 42 days, ended in Lahore, Pakistan, on May 10. In an interview with The Nation in April, Asma Abbas disclosed her role. The cast also included British actor Tom Coulston, Nayyar Ejaz, Simi Raheel, Mehmood Aslam, and Marhoom Ahmad Bilal, who was making his feature debut.

Then, starting on June 20 in Warsaw, Poland, the second spell continued. Along with Jawed Sheikh, Mahenur Haider, and Faisal Qureshi, Fia Khan was cast in her feature debut. After around 30 days in Warsaw, the filming came to an end on July 26. The cinematographer for this project is Zain Haleem. It took five days to film the song “Item Number” in Bangkok.

Sheikh disclosed his involvement to The News, adding, “I adore travelling,” as he was compelled to travel for numerous movies, including this one. Aslam said in the film that he had returned to the industry after a 28-year hiatus, saying, “I finally got the role which I always wanted to play.”

A statement made by Maya Ali to Pakistan Today read, “I couldn’t have found a better film than Teefa in Trouble to make my cinematic debut.” Zafar expressed interest in seeing the characters he created come to life, noting that each actor infused their ideas into their roles, to Khaleej Times.

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Box Office:

With its Rs. 2.31 crore opening weekend, Teefa in Trouble broke Jawani Phir Nahi Ani’s previous record of Rs. 2.07 crore, making it the largest opening weekend for a Pakistani film. It became the seventh most successful non-holiday opener at the local box office. Soon after, Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2 shattered this record by earning Rs. 2.99 crore. On its second day, Pakistan contributed less than Rs. 2.5 crore. By the end of its first weekend of release, Teefa in Trouble had surpassed the difficult task of being released during a non-holiday and non-peak season, becoming the second Pakistani film to do so. Over Rs. 10.15 crore were collected internationally during the first weekend.

Teefa in Trouble also made history as the first Pakistani movie to earn a total of about Rs. 14.26 crore internationally and a record-breaking Rs. 9.86 crore from the local box office in just five days.

Teefa in Trouble surpassed all other Pakistani films in terms of box office receipts on July 27. Up to the second week, a total of Rs. 18.79 crore was collected nationwide. Teefa in Trouble also brought in the most money during the third weekend and week at the local box office, earning Rs. 5.77 crore; the fourth weekend and week brought in Rs. 4.17 crore; and the fifth weekend and week brought in Rs. 1.5 crore. In addition to being the first non-holiday film to surpass the Rs. 30 crore milestone, it became the third most-grossing Pakistani film, behind only Jawani Phir Nahi Ani and Punjab Nahi Jaungi.

Teefa in Trouble generated a total of 41.44 crore after taking in 9.4 crore from the international market in 38 days and 32.04 crore from the domestic box office until the eighth weekend. After a four-month run, it brought in Rs. 33 crore locally. EPK reported on February 20, 2019, that it had earned Rs. 14 crore from outside and Rs. 34.5 crore domestically.

On February 22, following the Pulwama assault of 2019 and the tensions between India and Pakistan, it returned to the big screen. The movie surpassed the Rs. 50 crore milestone, it was announced on March 31.