The trailer for Shoaib Mansoor’s eagerly awaited political thriller Verna was released yesterday. Starring Mahira Khan, the film centres around a strong female protagonist and the male lead, Haroon Shahid, definitely takes second billing in this one.

In a role that most Pakistani actresses would give an arm and a leg for, Mahira will have the opportunity to display the full range of her histrionic abilities and prove that she’s more than just a weepy romantic heroine.

The film is clearly a revenge saga and there are two men in the heroine’s life, one whom she is in love with and another villainous type who one assumes has wronged her in the past. But this past re-surfaces to disrupt her relationship with the man she loves.

As Mahira Khan herself put it “The message of this film for men or for women is that if you have been wronged, then you need to stand up for it. Do something about it.”

Shoaib Mansoor is known for his intense plots, rife with social commentary and Verna seems to be in the same vein with women and their vulnerability in society being the central theme. Throw in the corrupt political elite and a compromised legal and administrative system and one can tell where this film is going. While not by any means an original storyline, in the hands of a skilled director like Shoaib Mansoor, this could be a powerful film.