Mumbai: The release of The Legend of Maula Jatt, the Pakistani film that has created a lot of excitement among the fans and has been years in the making, stars two well-known personalities of the industry, Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, is facing a new challenge, as fresh concerns emerge regarding the film’s limited release in Indian theatres. This film has already created records in Pakistan and the charts globally and is poised to be on the pages of the history of cinema as the beginning of a new height in cinema within the bounds of two nations.
A Partial Release in Punjab, India
According to various sources in Indian media, Nadeem Mandviwalla, the film’s official distributor, gave an interview to India Today and provided some insight on the film’s release strategy, which caused outrage. Most people had fully expected the opposite. However, the distributor stated that The Legend of Maula Jatt will not be available for a nationwide rollout in India. It will only be released in the state of Punjab.
Discussing this shift in strategy in detail, Mandviwalla was optimistic that the film, even with this restrictive release, would still be able to perform exceptionally well commercially in India. He further explained that one reason for such optimism is that the movie is not yet available in any OTT (over-the-top) format; therefore, a huge segment of potential viewers who want to watch it in a cinema remains.
The Staggered Meaning in the Delayed Release
Nonetheless, Mandviwalla also accepted tracing the patterns of a delay in release. He noted that, given that The Legend of Maula Jatt is finally releasing in India now, two years after its release worldwide, the film’s first impact has unfortunately faded away. After it was released in Pakistani cinemas in 2022 and became extremely popular, the film also stands amongst the most box office hits in the history of Pakistan cinema.
However, the distributor sounds positive. “There still is a chance that the film is successful because the film is well told, it has intelligent twists, and it stars actors with great popularity such as Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, who is also very popular on the other side of the border,” he said.
Why Should Only Punjab Be Targeted?
In interviews with Indian publications, insiders from the film revealed why the release was staggered. The filmmakers decided to release the movie in Punjab to find out whether they could release Pakistani films in India after taking into account the legacy of political and cultural relations between both countries. The success of the movie in this region will act as a sounding board on whether. There is a market for Pakistani film content in India.
Sources have stated that if the film performs well in the Indian Punjab. The team would be more than willing to extend its release to other states in the country. This way, the distributors will gauge the audience’s reception before going for a full release.
Bilal Lashari Director Announcement
Earlier, the director of the film, Bilal Lashari, also made a major announcement regarding the release of the said film. He mentioned that The Legend of Maula Jatt would be released on October 2 only in the state of Punjab in India. This announcement received some positive as well as negative responses. The fans expected the film to be released across India’s territories.
A Remake of a Cinematic Classic
Notably, the Legend of Maula Jatt is, in fact, a remake of the famous Pakistani film Maula Jatt. It was released in 1979 and is one of the best fifty in South Asian cinema. The 2022 version of the movie. Director Lashari had Fawad Khan playing the role of Maula Jatt while Mahira Khan was the female lead. The pioneer movie has been a great influence in the Punjabi-speaking film industry. It continues to be relevant to film lovers even after many decades.
Though The Legend of Maula Jatt in India had a very brief release. It is part of a bigger attempt to understand. The market for cross-border entertainment and filmmaking is more political. Suppose the film manages to do well in Indian Punjab. In that case, it can highly increase the chances of other Pakistani films coming to India. Thereby bridging the entertainment gap between the two nations.
