Bilal Lashari’s “The Legend of Maula Jatt,” starring Pakistani stars Fawad Khan and Mahra Khan (no relation), is now officially the highest-grossing Pakistani film of all time.
The film, which was produced by Encyclopedia Amara Hikmat and Lashari Films, was released on October 13, 2022 and has grossed $10 million worldwide, including $4.2 million in Pakistan. It has far surpassed the $3.2 million earned globally by the previous record holder “Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2” in 2018.
After Pakistan, the most successful territory for the film was the UK, distributed by Pranab Kapadia of Moviegoers Entertainment. It collected 1.43 million pounds ($1.7 million) in the territory, compared to 2018’s last “Sanju” which took in $1.6 million, making it the highest-grossing South Asian film there since “Padmaavat,” which also grossed $2.5 million. in 2018. The next highest grossing movie of 2022 from South Asia in the UK is “Ponniyin Selvan-1” with $1.5 million.
The Punjabi version “The Legend of Mola Jat” is a reboot of Younis Malik’s 1979 cult classic “Mola Jat”. The cast of the film, which is among the biggest budgeted films in the history of Pakistani cinema, includes Hamza Ali Abbasi, Humaima Malik, Faris Shafi and Johar Rasheed. The film focuses on the legendary rivalry between local hero Mola Jeet (Fouad Khan) and Noori Naat (Hamza Ali Abbasi), a brutal gang leader. Mahira Khan plays Mukkho, a fiery village woman who is the romantic interest of Mola Jat.
Mahira Khan, who was previously a VJ with MTV Pakistan and starred in the hit series ‘Humsafar’ (2011), has a string of hit films including ‘Bol’ (2011), ‘Bin Roye’ (2015), ‘Ho Mann Jahan’. (2015), “7 Din Mohabbat In” (2018), “Superstar” (2019) and “Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad” (2022).
“The most important thing about Mokho was that she was just such a strong woman – she loved fearlessly, her moral compass was very sound, she had integrity and she was fierce too,” said Khan. diverse. That was a very big thing that the women in this, in ‘Maula Jatt’ today, are so powerful. And I think that’s the thing that a lot of people asked me before the release was ‘Are we going to see the same representation of women in the ’70s? I said, no, you will see Bilal Lashari’s representation of women. I’m glad I was a part of it.”
Khan says that the global positive reaction to the film was unexpected and that it is “the quintessential reaction” of a good film. The producer and director shares the feelings of the actress.
“What an amazing journey our film has been on since its release. The love and appreciation from the audience has made this 10-year journey worth every moment. It is heartening to see people embracing regional cinema all over the world. I hope the success of The Legend of Maula Jatt will pave the way for The way for stories from Pakistan to a global audience.” diverse.
Hikmat added, “Getting attention outside the area of influence of Punjabi cinema was great for the film. It would be an understatement if I said the attention the film received was a surprise. However, it felt completely surreal when he garnered the recognition and box office success that everyone involved in the film had always dreamed of.”
Now looking for “The Legend of Mola Jat” in Turkey and China. Its global success comes at a time when another Pakistani film, Joyland by Saim Saeed, has won accolades, from its award-winning debut at Cannes to a spot on the Oscars shortlist and, after some hiccups, to being released at home in Pakistan.
“Whether it’s ‘Joyland’ or ‘Maula Jatt,’ the people who are driving these projects are passionate. We need more directors, storytellers, who tell stories from the heart. The other thing we really need is that I would like to see our government support our industry. And this year, we’ve seen that happen.” Earlier this year, the Pakistani government recognized films as an industry, announcing a film fund and major tax breaks.
“Cinemas will be opening up and films like ‘Maula Jatt’ will double, triple and quadruple the footsteps, which weren’t there. These may be small, small steps, but in the end they will be really big steps,” Khan said. “Netflix and Amazon — I think they need Come over now because we have great content. But before that happens, we can actually put out as many movies as we can, even the smallest ones. We don’t have a digital outlet yet. So we can still do that work and we can still put out those little movies.”
Khan turned producer alongside Nina Kashif via Soul Fry Films with ‘Aik Hai Nigar’, a TV movie based on Pakistan Army General Nigar, the first Muslim army general in South Asia. and the cricket series “Parwan Khalladi”.
Next up for Khan as an actor is ‘Neelofar’, a love story where she plays a blind woman, which reunites her with ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ co-star Fouad Khan, who is also producing.
Like Fawad Khan, who had a successful career across borders in India, in Bollywood, Mahira Khan also tasted success with ‘Rais’ (2017) alongside superstar Shahrukh Khan. However, increasing political tensions between India and Pakistan have prevented Pakistani actors and musicians from working in India.
“I’ve had the most amazing time working in India. I still keep in touch with a lot of people and there’s a lot of love there. Unfortunately, we’re easy targets, easy targets, whether we’re here in Pakistan, whether we’re there in India,” said Mahira Khan. . “Because we’re artists, and we’re connected by this artistic thread, we actually get each other. So we try to look out for each other more than anything else. Even now, we’re very careful with what we write on social media. It’s not that we don’t talk.” With each other. It’s not that we don’t wish each other on our birthdays. It’s not that we don’t see each other in different countries. It’s not that – it’s just that we actually not only protect ourselves, but each other.”
“Unfortunately, it’s politics, it’s nothing personal. On both ends, until such time as we need a scapegoat, we will be,” Khan added. “But let’s just say things are getting better. Let’s say there is someone in power who doesn’t use us as easy targets. That would be nice. Can you just imagine the collaboration? It will be good.”
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