The Legend of Maula Jatt, starring Fawad Khan, first Pak film in over a decade to release in India

The last major Pakistani production to release in India was Shoaib Mansoor’s Bol (2011) — Saim Sadiq’s Oscar-nominated Joyland was screened at some festivals last year before it was made available on Apple TV — but since then, cultural exchanges have been minimal, particularly after the ban on Pakistani artists in India following the Uri attacks in 2016. The original Maula Jatt, directed by Younis Malik, was a landmark film in Pakistani cinema, featuring iconic dialogues, raw action, and the unforgettable rivalry between the hero, Maula Jatt, and the villain, Noori Natt.

A far cry from the dated melodrama of the 1970s

This 2022 rendition, however, does not rest on the laurels of its predecessor. Instead, Lashari takes bold risks by reimagining the film through the lens of modern cinematic aesthetics, including hyper-realistic action, more sleek production design, and an immersive soundtrack that reflects the blood-soaked revenge saga. With Fawad Khan’s brooding portrayal of Maula Jatt and Hamza Ali Abbasi’s visceral embodiment of Noori Natt, Lashari’s version is a far cry from the dated melodrama of the 1970s. It positions itself as a slick, violent epic that simultaneously celebrates and critiques the macho bravado that defined the original. This film is not just a nostalgic callback but a complete overhaul, adding layers of psychological intensity to the characters while retaining the folk-hero mythos of the original.

So, why has this film become such a watershed moment in the larger context of Pakistani and Indian cinema? The excitement around its release in India is palpable. For over a decade, Pakistani content has been barred from Indian screens — whether it’s television dramas, films, or music. The 2016 Uri attacks in Kashmir were followed by a series of bans on Pakistani artists working in India, and any formal collaborations were effectively put on hold. Against this backdrop, The Legend of Maula Jatt’s Indian release is a bold move that taps into the nostalgia of cross-border cultural consumption, which had become part of the collective imagination during more amicable times.

Both Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan are massively popular in India, owing much to their previous work in Bollywood — Fawad’s smouldering performances in Kapoor & Sons and Khoobsurat, and Mahira’s turn opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Raees, besides the numerous Hum TV dramas available of YouTube. Their on-screen pairing in The Legend of Maula Jatt capitalises on this shared affection. Lashari’s film could have easily been a heavy-handed affair. But it succeeds in walking the tightrope between commercial cinema and art-house sensibilities, offering audiences the adrenaline rush of action sequences while providing enough emotional gravitas to make the film more than just an exercise in testosterone.

A victory for filmmakers, audiences

The brutal face-off between Maula and Noori, both allegorical figures of power and resistance, anchors the film in the timelessness of good-versus-evil narratives. However, Lashari gives his characters enough depth to prevent them from becoming one-dimensional symbols. The cinematography, helmed by Lashari himself, offers sweeping visuals of the Punjabi countryside, contrasting the pastoral beauty with the grim, blood-soaked world of Maula and Noori’s feud. The film’s action choreography — arguably one of the best in South Asian cinema in recent years — borrows from the cinematic language of Hollywood epics while retaining a uniquely subcontinental flavour. The slow-motion sequences, the visceral fight scenes, and the earthy sound design all converge to create an immersive experience that sucks the viewer into its violent core.

However, there is also an undeniable cultural specificity to the film, which makes its release in India even more fascinating. The Maula Jatt universe is deeply rooted in the soil of rural Punjab, drawing from local folklore, oral traditions, and the region’s rich literary history. For an Indian audience, especially those from the northern states like Punjab and Haryana, this cultural proximity is likely to resonate. The dialects, the landscapes, and the underlying ethos of the film share common threads with northern Indian cinema, potentially widening its appeal.

That said, The Legend of Maula Jatt is not without its criticisms. Critics argue that the film, in its pursuit of grandeur, sacrifices narrative coherence for spectacle. The storyline, while engaging, sometimes gets lost in the cacophony of battle sequences and grandiose set-pieces. Moreover, for audiences unfamiliar with the original Maula Jatt or the specific cultural milieu it inhabits, the film’s cultural references and idioms may fly over their heads. There is also the question of whether the film’s hyper-masculinity, with its emphasis on brute strength and violent retribution, aligns with contemporary cinematic sensibilities that are increasingly critical of such portrayals. Yet, despite these minor shortcomings, The Legend of Maula Jatt is undeniably a monumental achievement in Pakistani cinema, which sets a new benchmark. Its Indian release is not just a victory for the filmmakers but also for audiences on both sides of the border.