Night of Henna

As earnest as it is clumsy, Hassan Zee's drama focuses on young people trapped between their own dreams and their Pakistani parents' determination to hold on to centuries-old traditions. Hava (Kumar) has had her marriage prearranged by her mother and father. Behind her family's back, Hava gets a job, takes classes and—worst of all—starts dating a sensitive, supportive suitor. Zee has impeccable intentions, but his ham-fisted moral tale is painfully obvious and seriously undermined by amateurish performances. Were it not for Kumar's luminous charisma, the film would be unwatchable.