How movies like item are hurting Pakistani cinema
PUBLISHED January 11, 2026 KARACHI: There are bad movies. Then there are worse movies. And then some films top the worst—an enviable category that Huma Shaikh’s Item occupies proudly. From a poster that screams cringe to a trailer that confirms it, the film eventually blossoms into a full-on cringe fest. Achieving this level of discomfort is no small feat. Item claims to be a film about women empowerment. It also claims to highlight the plight of women who are called “objects” for daring to step outside their homes to earn a living. In fact, it does neither. Instead, it operates
