Project Peshawar

Project Peshawar is a 2017 Pakistani multilingual suspense thriller film. It incorporated Pashto, Urdu, Dutch, and English language. It was Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's first internationally released film. Project Peshawar was particularly popular in global media because Peshawar, the capital of the province, was under militant rule for years. The film follows a Pakistani-British individual who falls in love with a Peshawar-based girl through the internet, only to discover that he has been lured into a trap.

Plot
Project Peshawar is based on a true story and revolves around a British Pakistani who falls in love with a Peshawar-based girl on the internet, and travels back to Pakistan to realize that it was merely a trap to capture him.

The story highlights the negative side of the modern-day social media boom, and is intended to raise awareness as to how some people use social media negatively.

Cast

 * Shoaib Lodin
 * Navishta Sahar
 * Sally Ingry
 * Moez Mohmand
 * Mihela Bursc
 * Arbab Izhar Ahmad
 * James Ryan
 * Mustafa Khan
 * Mariyam
 * Dilawar Jan

Filming
Principal photography took place in United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Pakistan, with 70% of the production in Peshawar. The male lead of the film, Shoaib Lodin, who also acted as a consultant producer on the film, is an Afghani-Dutch citizen who left Peshawar in 1997. He is a graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India.

Release
Project Peshawar released on 20 August 2017 in Peshawar, premiering at Nishtar Hall. The premiere was sponsored by Jeans Films and the Tourism Corporation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It was later shown at film festivals in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands.

Critical reception
Film-maker Irshu Bangash told The Express Tribune that people from the local entertainment industry were trying to sabotage the film, claiming that it portrays the city negatively and "promotes western values" instead of local cultural values. Bangash shared how they decided to do a film about social media and how it's misused. "We see it all around us. Even Mashal Khan's case was elevated due to social media and its power," he said. "It's funny because these are our seniors, yet a lot of inappropriate content has been released without any objections because of the lack of censor board in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa."

Official website
projectpeshawar.com/

Soundtrack
Musicians involved in the production of the soundtrack include Fortitude, Khumariyaan, King Compass and the duo of Naseer & Shahab.