Rangila will always go down in Lollywood history as a bit of an enigma. Seemingly just an under grown and enormously irritating moron of the worst kind, there is evidently far more to him than seems apparent. Though he managed to make a certain amount of headway doing the usual cliché ridden "comedy" roles as the retarded khansama (cook) or sidekick, his real break came when his self directed film Deea aur Toofan clicked in a massive way - and suddenly Rangila was no longer a bit part comedian but a major commercial force, ready to tap in on a market thirsting for something out of the ordinary.

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Rangila had already carved out a niche for himself in the industry when he decided to produce and direct Aurat Raj from an idea of Shaukat Thanvi. What he has managed to create is not only one of the most important and groundbreaking films in Lollywood history yet but while doing so he has also managed to camouflage his satire with the most hysteria inducing comedy farce - a movie that will have you crying tears of laughter at the insane events unfolding on screen. Rangila may have fallen from grace irredeemably after his much maligned magnum opus, Kubra Ashiq but this film shows that the man once had somewhat of a magic touch and when given a free reign, was able to concoct a most sinfully delicious cocktail of political and social satire fused with madcap high farce.

In this film we are introduced to Waheed Murad who is the most despicable husband to wife Rani that could possibly be imagined. He does absolutely everything that he possibly can to ridicule and humiliate his wife at all times and spends his time with tarts he picks up at the local dance club. Rani pleads with him to see sense and to return home to his dutiful (if whining) wife (Rani), and dim witted son they have out of their most unhappy marriage. But he refuses to conform in anyway and continues to bring home his sleazy girlfriends referring to Rani as a servant! Finally Rani snaps and unwilling to take anymore she vows (not to simply give up like a typical simpering Pakistani woman) but take the fight to her lecherous vermin of a husband……….and not only to her husband but to the entire male population of the country who she feels need to taste some justice for their ghastly treatment of women. Thus Rani joins up with a bunch of equally driven feminists fighting for justice and their effort begins to rapidly steamroller into an enormous political movement. Before the girl power translates itself into political power its strength is first felt on the streets as hordes of girl gangs take to the streets thrashing the shit out of their male counterparts!

Hysteria reigns until the police finally manage to control the battle of the sexes and pacify their leaders by informing them that a general election is to be held and whichever party wins shall rule the roost and call the shots. And so we have the Aurat Raj party led by the vindictive Rani and her team of demented feminists consisting of Naghma, Chakori, Khanum and others while on the opposition there is the male party headed by Waheed Murad and his male chauvinists. Girl power reigns due to their powers of seduction and suddenly the country is faced with an all female leadership…….a crazed one at that. Rani's obsession with revenge clouds her political decisions and she ends up purchasing a hugely expensive bomb which when ignited will turn all the men of the country into simpering women and turn the women into dykes with masculine voices. The bomb carries a heavy price though as to pay for it Rani has to "loan" half the country to the foreign bomb sellers as collateral. Her decision causes much resentment, and there is dissent and a walkout or two from within her party…….notably from one of her chief ministers, comrade Chakori.

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Once the bomb is exploded by Rani's hell bent government mayhem is let loose and events on film become a total riot. The men are transformed into transvestites with girlie voices……..while the girls are transformed into Butch dykes with baritones! The scenes of Waheed Murad in drag, doing the pelvic thrusts and thumkas complete with sexy facial expressions (aaj thumke pe thumka lagana paray ga) are among the most hysterical in all Lollywood history and the bit when Sultan Rahi (playing himself) is transformed from Super Macho Jatt-King of the screen to a whimpering woman running from pillar to post to avoid having her "izzat being lootoed" by the marauding Chakori Phaddebaaz has to be seen to be believed. The fabulous song sequences shot on Rahi and Waheed in drag are the most fabulous piss take on Lollywood sexism - with the lingering close ups on the hips and bust region, and the subtle use of the zoom lens. In fact the film manages to lampoon just about everything about Pakistani films and society……… politics, male chauvinism, tradition, pseudo-religious customs you name it, Rangila has taken a pot shot at it and done so with joyous success. If one was to criticize the film at all, perhaps there is one song too many but that's being nitpicky - on the whole it's a magnificently successful and sizzlingly acidic satire on the way things are here in the land of the pure.

Rangila has truly hit the spot with this classic and it ranks as one of Lollywood's finest moments. The acting, especially by Waheed Murad and Sultan Rahi is astoundingly brilliant. Firstly one has to credit the actors for taking on roles which invite ridicule - they perform their roles fabulously and Waheed Murad's antics in the song sequences are stuff of legend and he deserves the highest accolades for his show stopping effort. The editor Rehmat Ali slips slightly in one of the song sequences (the climax done as a piss take of Rani's death dance in Anjuman) where the viewer can see Waheed Murad crack up during the song……..the "cut" was a bit late on this occasion, yet it goes with the insane flavour of the film on the whole.

Aurat Raj is Rangila doing a Monty Python on Pakistani films and society - its got to be the funniest spoof ever to come out of Lollywood, and between the lines its also one of the most potent. Stirring, epic stuff from writer, producer, director, singer, song writer………a triumph for the multi talented insane genius of Rangila. The government who were reeling from the after effects of the blatantly anti establishment Maula Jat found Aurat Raj too subversive for decent, "politically correct" audiences and the film was purged from cinemas after it had performed reasonably well at the box office………a surprise in itself considering how utterly non conformist and unconventional the film is. Aurat Raj is arguably the finest film ever to emerge from the chaos known as Lollywood.

The Hot Spot is delighted and immensly proud to announce that we have acquired the Worldwide Rights to this classic Lollywood film for release in North America and Europe and plans are already underway to release the film on a "Special Edition" DVD through Pagan Films' (UK) Mondo Macabro series.