Our neighboring country India produces the largest number of feature films every year in the world in various languages. Among these the Hindi language film industry is known as Bollywood.

Due to its similarity with Urdu, Hindi is also understood in Pakistan. Since partition of the sub continent in 1947 Bollywood films are also very popular in Pakistan and Bollywood stars also have huge fan following in our country. Even the tense situation on the political front and borders with India seldom impact this popularity and fan following of Bollywood.

Despite similar language, no Pakstani artist worked in any Bollywood film for almost 35 years after 1947. In 1980’s upon the encouragement of the than ruler the dictator General Ziaul Haq Pakistani artists such as Nadeem, Muhammad Ali and Zeba worked in a Bollywood film. The trend continued till mid 1990s and then working of Pakistani artist was halted. After a gap of seven eight years, after 2000-01 relations between Pakistan and India improved under another dictator General Parvez Musharaf. Since 2000-01 many Pakistani artist have crossed the border to work in Bollywood films.

The screening of Bollywood films was also allowed in Pakistan after 2007. Bollywood films earn huge in Pakistan and their revenue make almost 60 – 70% of the whole cinema business in Pakistan. This year very few Pakistani artists worked in Bollywood films, but like every year most of these films were not much successful. Apart from Fawad Khan none of the other artists succeeded in registering any notable success in Bollywood this year.

Here is a compilation of the Pakistani artists who acted in Bollywood films in 2016

Mawra Hocane
Mawra Hocane has worked in many television dramas before accepting an offer of Bollywood film Sanam Teri Kasam. It was the first Bollywood film of 2016 featuring a Pakistani artist. As per press reports, Mawra had a meaty role in this film as the solo heroine. The film is released in February 2016 and proved unsuccessful in Pakistan.

Fawad Afzal Khan
Fawad Afzal Khan the most famous Pakistani artist of recent times worked in two Bollywood films this year. He played a major role in one film, and a cameo role in the other.

Fawad’s first film was Kapoor & Sons released in March 2016. A major cricketing event ICC Cricket T20 World cup was also scheduled in the same month and usually such popular sporting event hurts the cinema business. However despite this hurdle Kapoor & Sons proved superhit in Pakistan. The film earned between 10 – 11 crore in Pakistan which is more than handsome figure on local box office.

Fawad’s character in this film was quite unconventional as he appeared in the role of a gay. But the tremendous success of this film in Pakistan proved that his character was well received by the cine goers. Apart from the cine goers the film reviewers of the English press also praised Fawad’s performance in the film.

After Kapoor and Sons, the second Bollywood film of Fawad in 2016 was Ae Dil Hai Mushkil due to release on 28th October 2016. As per press reports Fawad played a cameo role in this film. Due to political tensions between Pakistan and India, Indian film producers association announced a ban on the working of Pakistani artists in Bollywood films in early October. Following this step the Pakistani film distributors and exhibitors also announced a ban on the screening of Bollywood films. Due to this the film was not screened in Pakistan.

Sara Loren
Sara Loren has been working in the Bollywood for past few years. This year she also worked in a Bollywood film Ishq Click released in July 2016. Ishq Click failed to click any chord on Pakistani box office and almost went unnoticed.

Moomal Sheikh & Javed Sheikh
The father and daughter Javed Sheikh and Moomal Sheikh also worked in a Bollywood film this year Happy Bhaag Jaye Gi (HBJG). HBJG was due to release in August 2016. The film was duly imported and promoted by the distributor but faced a last hour blockade by the film certification board. The film certification board has concerns over few scenes and dialogs of the film. Consequently the film was not released in Pakistan.

It was the first Bollywood film of Moomal Sheikh while Javed Sheikh has earlier worked in several Bollywood films.

Imran Abbas
Imran Abbas has worked few Bollywood films and also appeared in another one in 2016. He had a cameo appearance in the film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil due to release in October 2016. However due to the ban on the screening of Bollywood films the film was not released in Pakistan.

So in summary only three Bollywood films featuring a Pakistani artist were released this year in Pakistan namely Sanam Teri Kasam, Kapoor & Sons and Ishq Click. Apart from these only Kapoor & sons proved successful despite an unusual role from Fawad Afzal Khan.

As Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association has imposed a ban on casting any Pakistani artist in a new project so in coming future no Pakistani artist might be seen acting any Bollywood movie. However any such films completed before this ban will be released in 2017.

Thanks for reading.

Rashid Nazir Ali

In the year 2016 few artists were seen after a gap of few years on big screen. The comeback on big screen was pleasant for some of them or in some cases it was not much successful.

Here is a compilation of the artists who made a comeback this year after a noticeable years. Few names like Saima Noor and Ajab Gull have been active in the regional cinema (Pashto and Punjabi) but have not worked in any mainstream film.

Aashir Azeem
Aashir Azeem is a civil servant who served in various government institutions. Deployed in Quetta in 1994 he wrote and played the lead in the TV drama Dhuwaan . Dhuwaan proved block buster back than and to this day considered a beginning of a new trend in Pakistani dramas. Despite staggering success Aashir Azeem just vanished off the scene after not pursuing the acting/writing career. He did few long plays (tele films) here and there but not something main stream as Dhuwaan.

In 2014-15 Aashir Azeem announced his comeback with the Urdu film Maalik as a producer, writer and director. Aashir also played the main lead in the film. Maalik was finally released this year on 8th April 2016 and proved a hit at the box office. On the whole the film received mixed response.

Aashir also announced his plans to start a new project after Maalik. However despite being hit at the box office, Maalik proved a bitter experience for Aashir Azeem as a producer. The film was released after duly obtaining the screening certificates from all the three functioning Film certification boards. Moreover the state run Pakistan Television was the media partner for the promotion of Maalik. PTV actively promoted the film through its morning shows and daily transmission.

Maalik became a victim of the inconsistency of the censor board, when after three weeks of screening first Sindh Board for Film Certification (SBFC) and later Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) revoked its screening certificate for inticing violence and depicting some ethnicities in a wrong manner. Aashir challenged the decision of the censor boards in superior court and after four months of proceedings the courts allowed the screening of the film. The screening of the film resumed in September 2016 and its second run ended in October 2016 which lasted for five weeks.

Facing all this Aashir announced to shelve his next project, so his comeback as a producer was not much pleasant.

Nadeem
The most successful artist of Urdu cinema who ruled the big screen for three decades, made a comeback on the big screen again through Hijrat released in April 2016. Nadeem’s last major film was Mein Hoon Shahid Afridi in 2013.

Hijrat was a box office disaster and Nadeem was wasted in this movie. He played the supporting role of an Indian non-muslim doctor working in an Afghan Refugee camp, but it was never elaborated at any point in the film. How an Indian doctor is allowed to work in an Afghan Refugee camp that too in the Balochistan province was beyong any sense. On the whole his character was not well conceived.

Zeb Rehman
Zeb Rehman is a respected name of television who worked in the PTV dramas from Lahore centre. After a long break from television she last appeared in the Urdu film Bol in 2011. Bol proved successful, but Zeb never worked in any other film after that. She made a comeback on the big screen from film Hijrat released in April 2016. She played the role of a social activist and the mother of the hero Asad Zaman who has differences with her husband Jamal Shah.

Hijrat struggled at box office and Zeb Rehman come back was not much noticed.

Iman Ali
Iman Ali has been a super model of past decade who also excelled in acting. Known for working in selective projects, she also made a comeback to the big screen after a gap of five long years. Her last film was Bol in 2011.

Iman appeared in a double role opposite Fahad Mustafa in the film Mahe Mir released in May 2016. Being a serious film it was not much successful, though the film was selected as the Pakistan’s entry to Oscars for the year 2016. Iman successfully performed the role of a courtesan and a poetess in this film. She looked stunning on the big screen however her performance in the two of the courtesan songs was not much powerfull. On the whole it was a successful comeback being noticed by fans and critics alike.

Manzar Sehbai
Manzar Sehbai is the brother of the writer Sarmad Sehbai who also works in selective projects. Like Zeb Rehman and Iman Ali his last project was also Bol in 2011. This year Manzar Sehbai was back on the big canvas as a literary critic in the film Mahe Mir released in May 2016. Manzar Sehbai’s performance was well appreciated by the film reviewers and viewers alike.

Meera
The scandal queen of our film industry Meera is always in news for some right or wrong reasons. Meera’s last major film was the Punjabi flick Ishq Khuda in 2013. In 2016 Meera was back on the silver screen through Hotal released in May 2016. Advertised as the first psycho thriller film of Pakistan, Hotal was horrible in production values due to limited budget. The film also proved dumb at the box office and thus the return of Meera was not a pleasant one.

Ghulam Mohiuddin
Known as Gullo Bhai in the film circles, Ghulam Mohiuddin has worked in many Urdu and Punjabi films in a four decade long career. After a gap of many years Gullo Bhai was back on the big screen from the film Swaal 700 Crore Dollar Ka (SSCDA) as a villian. His son Ali Mohiuddin also made his film debut through SSCDA.

Released as a solo Urdu film on Eidul Fitr in July 2016, SSCDA was a terrible film also rejected by the viewers.

Mathira
Another contoversy queen like Meera, Mathira also returned to the silver screen this year from the film Blind Love released in August 2016. Mathira last appeared in the film Mein Hoon Shahid Afridi (MHSA) in 2013. In MHSA she appeared for a brief duration of three minutes in the item song of the film which was one of the most talked about entertainment event of the year 2013.

In Blind Love Mathira again performed on an item number. Being the vamp of the film she also has few scenes and dialogues in the film. Blind Love was out of the cinemas in a weeks time and Mathira’s return was not successful.

Mishi Khan
Mishi Khan is one of those lucky artists whose first major project proved successfull. She received nation wide fame from her first project Uroosa in 1992 a television play from PTV Karachi centre.

Mishi continued working in dramas and also tried her luck in few Urdu films in 1990s. From past one decade she gradually disappeared from the scene and mostly hosted shows. Her last major appearance was in the drama Parchaian aired on ARY Digital some three years ago. Her last Urdu film was released in late 1999.

This year Mishi was back on big screen in a supporting role from the film Janaan released on Eidul Azha on 13th September 2016. Though a supporting role, her lively presence was well received in the film.

Ajab Gull
Ajab Gull is a famous name of Urdu and Pashto cinema. Ajab Gull’s last major Urdu film Kyun Tum Se Itna Pyar Hai was released back in 2005. Since then he mostly works in Pashto films. Though Pashto films perform well in their regional circuit they seldom receive the attention of the mainstream media.

This year Ajab Gull was back in Urdu films through two films. In both the films he played the role of a Pakhtun father. In Janaan he appeared as the father of Bilal Ashraf, and in Salute he was the father of Ali Muhtesham. He made his presence felt in Janaan and in Salute his role was more bigger and impactful as a Pakhtun driver working in Dubai.

Behroze Sabazwari
Behroze Sabazwari is mostly known for his television dramas but he also appeared in few Urdu films. His most notable apperance was as a villian in the film Chief Saab (1995).

After a gap of many years Behroze was back on the silver screen through the film Lahore Se Aagey released in November 2011. He played the role of Uncle of the hero Yasir Shah.

Atiqa Odho
Atiqa Odho is mostly known for her television dramas, but she has also worked in three urdu films where Mujhe Chand Chahiye in 2000 was her last film. She continued working in the television dramas since then. After a long gap Atiqa was back on big screen in 2016 through the films Lahore Se Aagey and Dobara Phir Se both released in November 2016.

In Lahore Se Aagey she had a guest appearance. In Dobara Phir Se, she played the role of supporting Mother in Law of Hareem Farooq and justified her presence.

Saima Noor
The undisputed queen of Punjabi cinema, Saima Noor also returned to Urdu cinema in 2016. Her last main stream film was Ishq Khuda in 2013. Since then she had few low budget Punjabi films released.

This year Saima made a comeback through Salute released in 2016. She played the role of the mother of Aitzaz Hassan (played by Ali Muhtesham). Though Salute struggled at the box office, but Saima Noor’s performance was praised.

Gia Ali
Gia Ali has enjoyed a long career as a model and performer. She had a dream debut from the film Deewane Tere Pyar Ke (DTPK) paired with Moammer Rana in 1997. Despite the huge success of DTPK Gia Ali never became a first choice of film makers. She appeared in supporting roles since then in films.

Her last major appearance in films was in Love Mein Gum in 2011. This year she returned to the films from another major project Sayae Khudae Zuljalal (SKZ) released in December 2016. Gia played the role of a foreign agent in the SKZ. SKZ struggled at the box office and she was also wasted in the film.

Sohail Sameer
Sohail Sameer started his career from modelling and then acting. He acted in several plays. Sohail Sameer also worked in a film Dane Pe Dana directed by Syed Noor in 2011.

Sohail Sameer returned to the big screen through the film Sayae Khudae Zuljalal (SKZ). He played the role of a security officer Major Faraz in the film.

Asad Malik
Asad is a famous name who worked in many television plays. Asad started his career from the Urdu/Punjabi film Betab in 1991/92. Not much successful in films he turned to the television and since then worked in many dramas.

This year he also returned to the big screen from the film Sayae Khudae Zuljalal. He played the role of Major Shafqat Baloch a hero of the 1965 war.

Nauman Ijaz
An established artist, Nauman Ijaz also worked in few films in start of his career in the early 1990s in the side role none of which proved successful and thus he focused more on the television dramas.

After a gap of more than one decade he appeared in the Punjabi film Virsa in 2010. After 2010 he now returned to big screen again from the film Sayae Khudae Zuljalal (SKZ). He appeared in the role of a soldier Hamza.

Babrik Shah
Babrik Shah made his debut in films in 2005 from the film Kyun Tum Se Itna Pyar He. He continued working in the Urdu, Punjabi and Pashto films as well as television. His last main stream Urdu film was Bhai Log in 2011, since then he mostly worked in the Pashto films.

This year his long delayed Urdu film Maula We released in December 2016. He appeared as writer, director, producer, cameraman, the lead protagonis in the film. Maula We was a below average attempt and thus Babrik Shah return was not much successful.

So it concludes the list of the artists who returned to the big screen after some considerable gap.

Do leave your feedback and also add to the list if someone is missed.

Rashid Nazir Ali

The year 2015 is concluding in few days and here is a roundup of Pakistani films released in 2015. On the whole business wise 2015 proved a favorable year for Pakistani films, as many films earned huge revenue from the box office. However quantity wise it was another disappointment year as very few Pakistani films were released. The year 2015 proved remarkable for the business of Urdu films, as the highest earning Urdu film of Pakistan is released this year. The films released in 2015 were in Urdu, Punjabi and Pashto languages. Urdu films were produced in Karachi and Lahore, whereas Punjabi and Pashto films are produced in Lahore. In 2015, Urdu films were also consistently released abroad in countries with large Pakistani diaspora like USA, UK, UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa

Pakistan comprises of four provinces Sindh, Punjab, KPK and Balochistan and three federal territories FATA, Islamabad and Gilgit Baltistan. Another region of Azad Jammu & Kashmir is also administered by Pakistan.

There are no cinemas in the federal terroritries of FATA, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan. So cinemas in Pakistan only exist in the four provinces and the federal capital Islamabad. In the Balochistan there are less then 10 cinemas and all are located in the capital city of Quetta. In the KPK province, there are less than 20 cinemas are located in the cities of Mardan, Peshawar, Swat and Nowshehra. The majority of cinemas of Pakistan exist in the province of Punjab, Sindh and federal capital Islamabad.

On the whole 43 local films in Urdu, Punjabi and Pashto were released these year and this article summarizes some the big films.

Urdu films
Urdu is the national language of Pakistan spoken and understood in the whole country. However the business of Urdu films is limited to the provinces of Sindh, Punjab and Federal Capital Islamabad. In Sindh, the cities of Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukker are the main business locations. In Punjab main cities like Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi and Multan as well as smaller cities like Sargodha, Gujrat, Lalamusa, Bahawalpur contribute to the Urdu cinema business. Federal capital Islamabad with many multiplexes is also a big market for Urdu films.

The Urdu films released in 2015 were produced in Karachi (Karawood), Lahore (Lollywood) and Islamabad. None of the Urdu film produced in Lahore is released in Karachi or outside Punjab, but the films released in Karachi were released throughout Sindh, Punjab and Islamabad.

Good Morning Karachi (گڈ مارننگ گراچی)

Film: Good Morning Karachi (گڈ مارننگ گراچی)
Cast: Aamna Ilyas, Saba Hameed, Beo Rana Zafar, Atta Yaqub, Aamina Sheikh, Savera Nadeem, Yasir Aqueel, Khalid Malik, Shaheen Khan, Farhan Ali Agha
Writer: Shandana Minhas
Screenplay: Malia Scotch Marmo, Sabiha sumar and Samhita Arni
Directed By: Sabiha Sumar
Produced By: Sachithanandam Sathananthan for Vidhi films
Distributor: APlus Films
Release Date: 1st January 2015
Produced In: Karachi
Music:
Shot In: Karachi
Budget: Not Available
Business (Pakistan): Less than 50 lakhs.
Business (Overseas): Not released outside Pakistan
Verdict: Flop

Released on 1st January 2015, Good Morning Karachi was the first Pakistani film of the year 2015. Produced and shot in Karachi, GMK was the first film released by APlus films. Though an Urdu film, its name was in English.
Based on the novel Rufina by Shandana Minhaas, the film failed miserably at the box office. Good Morning Karachi was the story of a girl Rufina who dreams to be a model while living in an impoverished area of Karachi. It was not a commercial film and such films in Pakistan seldom attract cine goers and only recieve praise from the film critics. However in the case of Good Morning Karachi, famous film critics like Omair Alavi criticized it for a negative portrayal of the city of Karachi.

Jalaibee (جلیبی)

Film: Jalaibee (جلیبی)
Cast:Danish Taimoor, Ali Safina, Wiqaar Ali Khan, Zhalay Sarhadi, Sajid Hasan, Sabeeka Imam, Adnan Jaffer, Uzair Jaswal
Writer: Yasir Jaswal
Directed By: Yasir Jaswal
Produced By: Business (Pakistan):
Business (Overseas): Eman Syed for Redrum Films
Distributor: ARY Films
Release Date: 20th March 2015
Produced In: Islamabad
Music: Umair Jaswal
Shot In: Islamabad
Budget: 9 crore
Business (Pakistan): 7 crore
Business (Overseas): 3 crore (UAE, US, UK)
Verdict: Average Hit

Jalaibee is one of the few commercial films produced in Islamabad. Unlike Karachi and Lahore, Islamabad is a new entrant in the production of Urdu films. Earlier Waar a film produced in Islamabad proved quite successful in 2013. Jalaibee was the first major Urdu film of the year 2015 released in March 2015. It was the debut Urdu film of many famous artists like Wiqar Ali Khan, Sabika Imam, Danish Taimoor, Ali Safina, Uzair Jaswal. Zhalay Sarhadi who earlier worked in the Urdu film Ramchand Pakistani in 2008 was also in a leading role.

The story of Jalaibee was as twisted as a real Jalaibee but the sweetness was entirely missing. The advertised budget of Jalaibee was about 9 crore, and it earned 6.5 crore – 7 crore on the box office. Though it failed to recover its costs, but still it is declared average hit as anything above 5 crore is considered a decent earning on Pakistani box office. Jalaibee was also released overseas in UAE, UK and USA as well receiving mixed response.

3 Bahadur (تین بہادر)

Film: 3 Bahadur (تین بہادر)
Cast (Voices by): Muneeba Yaseen,Hanzala Shahid,Zuhab Khan
Writer: Kamran Khan
Directed By: Sharmeen-Obaid Chinoy
Produced By: Waadi Animations
Distributor: ARY Films
Release Date: 22 May 2015
Produced In: Karachi
Music: John Angier, Sheraz Uppal
Shot In: Karachi
Budget: – 1.50 crore
Business (Pakistan): 6.64 crore
Business (Overseas):
Verdict: All Time Blockbuster

Teen Bahadur is the first commercial animated film of Pakistan produced by Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy. Teen Bahadur earned 6.64 crore which is a huge collection for any animated film in Pakistan and is declared All Time Blockbuster animated film of Pakistan. Its music composed by Sheraz Uppal was also hit. The film has a dance number (animated one) Aaja Re as well. Encouraged by the overwhelming success of Teen Bahadur, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy also announced its Part 2 which will release in 2017.

Maya (مایا)

Film: Maya (مایا)
Cast: Ahmed Abdul Rehman , Hina Jawad , Zain Afzal , Sheikh Mohammad Ahmed , Anam Malik , & Rasheed Ali Guest Appearance Jawad Bashir & Ali Aftab
Writer:
Directed By: Jawwad Bashir
Produced By: Hinna Jawwad, Sana Sulman, Zara Hamid, Twister Films
Distributor:
Release Date: 12 June 2015
Produced In: Lahore
Music:
Shot In: Lahore
Budget: Not Available
Verdict: Flop
Budget: Not Available
Business (Pakistan): Not Available
Business (Overseas): Not released outside Pakistan
Verdict: Flop

Maya is a horror film. Jawwad Bashir, who is famous name for sitcoms and Ufone commercials experimented with a different genre. Maya was produced by Jawwad’s then wife and model Hinna Javaid. Maya fell flat at the box office and perhaps also resulted in the rift between Jawwad Bashir and Hinna Javaid. Both Hinna and Jawwad parted their ways within weeks after the failure of Maya. Hinna Javaid married a British-Pakistani businessman in October, while Jawwad Bashir announced a new film of social romantic genre. As compared to Maya, the separation of Jawwad and Hinna received more attention in the press.

With Maya the first half of the 2015 ended with a relative dismal results for Urdu cinema. In the first half of 2015 only one mainstream commercial film Jalaibee was released which proved average at box office. On the contrary the second half of 2015 proved quite promising for the Urdu cinema where majority of the films posted positive results.

Wrong No.
Film: Wrong No.
Cast: Javed Sheikh, Danish Taimoor, Sohai Ali Abro, Janita Asma . Danish Nawaz, Shafqat Cheema & Nadeem Jafri
Writer:
Directed By: Yasir Nawaz
Produced By: YNH Films
Distributor: ARY Films
Release Date: 19 July 2015
Produced In: Karachi
Music: Waqar Ali
Shot In: Karachi
Budget: – 4 crore
Business (Pakistan): 15.5 crore
Business (Overseas): 10 -12 crore
Verdict: Blockbuster Hit

Released on 16th July 2015 on the festive occassion of Eidul Fitr, Wrong No. proved the second most successful Urdu film of the year 2015. A guy flick, it was the directoral debut for Yasir Nawaz, along with many other artists like Sohai Ali Aabroo, Janita Asma, Nadeem Jaffri, Danish Nawaz. Wrong No. earned around 15.5 crore and is declared a Blockbuster. Seeing its overwhelming success it was also released in UK and UAE where it failed to create the magic it did in Pakistan. The film also has a dance number Selfiyan shot on Sohai Ali Aabroo.

Bin Roye (بن روۓ)
Film:Bin Roye (بن روۓ)
Cast: Humayun Saeed , Mahira Khan , Armeena Rana Khan ,Javed Sheikh,Zeba Bakhtiyar, Azra Mansoor, Junaid Khan
Writer: Farhat Ishtiaq
Directed By: Momina Duraid & Hameed Kashmiri
Produced By: Momina Duraid
Distributor: Hum Films & Everready Pictures
Release Date: 19 July 2015
Produced In: Karachi
Music: Shiraz Uppal
Shot In: Karachi, USA, Dubai
Budget: – 3 -4 crore
Business (Pakistan): 11 crore
Business (Overseas): 20 – 25 crore
Verdict: Super Hit

Released on 18th July 2015 on Eidul Fitr, Bin Roye was a long awaited project from Hum Tv distributed by Eveready Productions. A film of social/romantic family drama genre Bin Roye also proved successful and earned about 10.85 crore. After a very long time an Urdu film of social/romantic family drama genre proved successful at the box office. Otherwise the recent history fo successful Pakistani films was limited to action and comedy films. After Bol in 2011, Mahira Khan made a successful comeback to Urdu cinema.

Apart from Pakistan Bin Roye was released worldwide by Indian film distributor B4U films. It was released in many countries including those where not much Pakistani reside, but having a sizeable Hindi speaking population like Fiji (a remote island in the pacific ocean having a large Indian Hindi speaking diaspora). Bin Roye was released in UAE, UK, USA, Canada, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Denmark, Norway, Singapore, Australia, Newzealand, Malaysia, Fiji, South Africa and many other countries.

It was also due to release in India but after threats from a Hindu extremist organization Maharashtra Navniriman Sena (MNS) its release was cancelled in the state of Maharashtra. Apart from Maharashtra it was released on 82 screens in India, which is a record for any Pakistani film in India. However it failed to register any success in India.

Apart from India, it earned well in the western countries UK, USA and Canada. Especially in UK it did exceptional business and became the highest earning Pakistani film in the UK. As per estimates it earned around 11 crore Pakistani rupee in UK alone which is more than its collection on Pakistani box office.  Bin Roye also opened the doors for more upcoming social romantic family drama films.

Bin Roye is the only film of 2015 which proved successful both in Pakistan as well as abroad. The other films which proved more successful in Pakistan, proved far less successful in other countries like UK, UAE and USA.

Karachi Se Lahore (کراچی سے لاہور)
Film: Karachi Se Lahore (کراچی سے لاہور)
Cast: Javed Sheikh, Shehzad sheikh, Aysha Omer, Yasir Hussain, Aashir Wajahat, Eshita Syed, Ahmed Ali, Rashid Naz, Mantaha
Writer: Yasir Hussain
Directed By: Wajahat Rauf
Produced By: Wajahat Rauffor  Showcase Films
Distributor: ARY Films
Release Date: 31 July 2015
Produced In: Karachi
Music: Shiraz Uppal
Shot In: Karachi, Lahore, Baluchistan
Budget: Not Available
Business (Pakistan):
Business (Overseas): Not Available
Verdict: Super Hit

A road trip comedy film Karachi Se Lahore was released on 31st July 2015. Like many other films of 2015, many artists made their debut like Ayesha Omar, Shahzad Sheikh, Yasir Hussain, as well as the director and producer Wajahat Rauf. KSL also proved superhit and grossed about 10 crore rupees at the box office. As compared to other films it has two dance numbers Tooti Frooti shot on Ayesha Omar and Rabbi Rali on Mantaha Tareen Maqsood. KSL was produced in Karachi and shot in Karachi, Lahore and Balochistan

Seeing its success in Pakistan it was also released overseas in UAE, without much success. KSL was also screened at Hollywood in some Asian film festival.

The success of three consecutive Urdu films provided encouraging signs to the film makers and distributors and it raised the hopes about three upcoming Urdu film which were due to release on 14th August 2015.

Shah (شاہ)
Film: Shah (شاہ)
Cast: Sardar Baloch,Gulab Chandio,Kiran Chaudhry,Faiz Chohan,Adnan Sarwar,Miraal Sara,Adeel Raees
Writer:
Directed By: Adnan Sarwar
Produced By: Adnan Sarwar for Logos Films & Media
Distributor: ARY Films
Release Date: 14 August 2015
Produced In: Karachi
Music:
Shot In: Karachi
Budget: – 1.70 crore
Business (Pakistan): 1.10 crore
Business (Overseas): Not released
Verdict: Average

A low budget biopic film financed entirely by Bank Alfalah, released on 13th August 2015. Shah was a tribute to long forgotten boxing hero of Pakistan Syed Hussain Shah. The stated budget of the film was 1.70 crore rupee and it earned approximately 1.10 crore rupee on the box office. Due to lack of finance the director Adnan Sarwar himself played the lead role of Hussain Shah. Shah was produced and shot in Karachi.

Films of such genre seldom succeed in Pakistan and are only screened at multiplexes in posh areas. Shah proved a timely acknowledgement to Olympic medalist Syed Hussain Shah who otherwise faced many bitter experiences from the beaurucracy and have to settle in Japan to earn his living.

Moor (مور)
Film: Moor (مور)
Cast: Hameed Sheikh, Samiya Mumtaz, Shaz Khan, Abdul Qadir, Sonya Hussyn, Ayaz Samoo, Ali Sheikh, Shabbir Rana, Habib Panazayi, Azlan Shah
Writer: Jami and Nazira Ali
Directed By: Jami
Produced By: Jami and Nadeem Mandwiwala
Distributor: IMGC (Geo Films)
Release Date: 14 August 2015
Produced In: Karachi
Music:
Shot In: Balochistan, Karachi
Budget: – 5 crore
Business (Pakistan):  2 crore
Business (Overseas): Not released
Verdict: Flop
Moor means mother in the Pashto language. Directed by Jami, it was under production for past four years. Like any film of Jami it has a layered script with interwooven themes. Such films seldom attract the masses and thus Moor was screened at selective multiplexes. The film earned praise from most of the critics and ultimately earned the Pakistan’s entry to Oscars from the Pakistani Oscar Committee headed by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy.

Dekh Magar Pyar Se (دیکھ مگر پیار سے)
Film: Dekh Magar Pyar Se (دیکھ مگر پیار سے)
Cast: Humaima Malik, Sikandar Rizvi, Irfan Khoosat, Farooq Aqdas
Writer:Saba Imtiaz
Directed By: Asadul Haq
Produced By:  Asadul Haq – Shiny Toy Guns
Distributor: IMGC (Geo Films)
Release Date: 14 August 2015
Produced In: Karachi
Music: Soch Band
Shot In: Lahore and London
Budget: – Not Available
Business (Pakistan): 2.20 crore
Business (Overseas): Not Available
Verdict: Average Hit

Dekh Magar Pyar Se was the only commercial comedy film released on 14th August 2015. Like many other Urdu films it was the debut film for the director Asadul Haq, actor Sikandar Rizvi, Farooq Aqdas. The film was produced in Karachi but shot in Lahore and London. Humaima Malik returned to Urdu cinema after a gap of four years, where Bol in 2011 was her last film.

DMPS, earned nearly 2 crore on the box office, where its budget was never revealed. On the whole DMPS was heavily criticized by viewers and critics alike for its weak story and execution. The music of the film by Soch Band was praised.

Manto (منٹو)
Film: Manto (منٹو)
Cast: Sarmad Sultan, Sania Saeed, Saba Qamar, Mahira Khan, Nimra Bucha, Arjumand Raheem, Faisal Qureshi, Humayun Saeed, Hina Khawaja Bayat, Shamoon Abbasi, Nadia Afgan, Sawera Nadeem
Writer: Shahid Mehmood Nadeem
Directed By: Sarmad Sultan Khoosat
Produced By: Asif Raza Mir
Distributor: IMGC (Geo Films)
Release Date: 11 Septebmer 2015.
Produced In: Karachi
Music:
Shot In: Karachi
Budget: – Not revealed
Business (Pakistan): 5 crore
Business (Overseas): Not released outside Pakistan
Verdict: Super Hit

A biopic film based on the life of famous short story writer Saadat Hassan Manto. The film covers the last seven years of the life of Saadat Hassan Manto which he spent in Pakistan after 1947. Manto is originally shot as a 20 episode television drama, and the film version consists of two hours of scenes edited out from the television drama. Manto was produced and shot in Karachi.

The name of Saadat Hassan Manto is considered a controversial name in the Urdu literature, and the film benefitted from the same reputation. Though films of independent nature seldom succeed in Pakistan, Manto performed very well by earning 5 crore on the box office, which was far more than its budget considering the film was edited version from a 20 hour long drama.

Swaarangi (سوارنگی)
Film: Swaarangi (سوارنگی)
Cast: Resham, Ayub Khosa, Naveed Akbar, Waseem Manzoor, Hamza Mushtaq, Shahzaib Johar
Writer: Phida Hussain
Directed By: Phida Hussain
Produced By:Mazhar Abbass
Distributor: Phida Hussain Films
Release Date: 11 September 2015
Produced In: Lahore
Music:
Shot In: Mianwali
Budget: – Not Available
Business (Pakistan): Not Available
Business (Overseas): Not Released
Verdict: Flop

An independent film , Swaarangi was the comeback of Resham in a film after a long gap of nine years. The film faced a ban from the Federal Censor Board, but cleared without any cuts by Punjab and Sindh Censor Boards. The film was released in very few multiplexes in Lahore only. Swaarangi proved dead flop at the box office.

Jawani Phir Nahin Aani (جوانی پھر نہیں آنی)
Film: Jawani Phir Nahin Aani (جوانی پھر نہیں آنی)
Cast: Humayun Saeed, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Ahmed Ali Butt, Vasay Ch, Aisha Khan, Sarwat Gillani, Mehwish Hayat,Sohai Ali Abro, Javed Sheikh, Bushra Ansari, ZQ, Ismail Tara
Writer: Vasay Chaudhar
Directed By: Nadeem Baig
Produced By: Salman Iqbal, Humayun Saeed, Mohammad Jerjees Seja & Shahzad Nasib, Six Sigma Productions
Distributor: ARY Films
Release Date: 25 September 1015
Produced In: Karachi
Music: Sahir Ali Bagga
Shot In: Karachi, Bangkok
Budget: – 9 crore
Business (Pakistan):  40 – 45 crore
Business (Overseas): Not Available
Verdict: All Time Blockbuster Hit

A comedy film Jawani Phir Nahin Aani (JPNA) has been the highlight of the year when it made the history by becoming the most successful film of Pakistan cinema. JPNA was also released in UAE, UK, USA. JPNA first by passed the Bollywood’s Dhoom3 which in 2013 earned 25 crore rupees on Pakistani box office and became the highest earning film in Pakistani rupees.

After the grand success of JPNA many new Pakistani films were announced and it encouraged investors towards the local film industry.

Halla Gulla (ہلہ گلہ)
Film: Halla Gulla (ہلہ گلہ)
Cast: Javed Sheikh, Ismail Tara, Ghazala Javed, Asim Mehmood, Muneeb, Sidra Batool, Ashraf Khan ,Zara Gul Jasmeen Adil Wadia, Maryam Ansari, Hina Rizvi, Hunain Maniar, Bilal Yousufzai
Writer:Raheela Mushtaq
Directed By: Kamran Ali Khan
Produced By: Hamid Mohammad
Distributor: Geo Films
Release Date: 25 September 2015
Produced In: Karachi
Music: Sahir Ali Bagga
Shot In: Karachi, Bangkok
Budget: – 3 -4 crore
Business (Pakistan): 1.5 crore
Business (Overseas): Not Released
Verdict: Flop

A comedy film Halla Gulla was also screened on Eidul Azha with JPNA. However unlike JPNA, Halla Gulla failed at the box office.

Ishq Ne Hum Ko Loota (عشق نے ہم کو لوٹا)
Film: Ishq Ne Hum Ko Loota (عشق نے ہم کو لوٹا)
Cast: Nadeem Shah, Zara Sheikh, Meera
Writer: Parvez Kaleem
Directed By: Iqbal Kashmiri
Produced By: Nadeem Shah
Distributor: Nadeem Shah
Release Date:
Produced In: Lahore
Music:
Shot In: Lahore
Budget: – Not Available
Business (Pakistan):
Business (Overseas): Not released
Verdict: Flop

The last Urdu film of 2015 was Ishq Ne Hum Ko Loota released only in Lahore in November. The film was shot five years ago but was stuck in the film processing laboratory of Evernew Studio over non payment of the dues. This year the film finally made it to cinemas without leaving any impact. It was based on the sob fest story of Devdas.

Punjabi films
Punjabi films were once considered as the backbone of Pakistani film industry. Till mid 2000 Punjabi films were running successfully in Punjab, however with the departure of 35 mm old camera and arrival of digital camera and multiplexes the Punjabi cinema failed miserably. This year nearly five low budget Punjabi films produced in Lahore were released in few cinemas of Lahore, Gujranwala and other small centres of Punjab. None of the Punjabi film was able to revive the dying Punjabi cinema.

The name of the Punjabi film were Razia Phas Gayi Gundon Main, Lahoria tay Pishoria, Gujjar Pooray Dinna Da, Sohna Gujjar and Sami Rawal.

Pashto films
Pashto films are produced in Lahore, Punjab but their market is outside of Punjab in the provinces of Balochistan and KPK. Pashto films are also released in few cinemas of Karachi, Sindh due to high population of Pashto speakers in the city. This year nearly 17 Pashto films were released 12 of which were hit while the rest also recovered their cost. Apart from Pakistan, Pashto films were also released in Kabul, Afghanistan and Dubai, UAE. Though the budgets of Pashto films are limited but their market is spread across multiple provinces and countries, which enables the makers of Pashto films to easily convert their investment into profit.

Rashid Nazir Ali

Hollywood films are released in Pakistan since its independence in 1947. The Hollywood films have their own dedicated audience which constantly watch these films regardless of the situation of Bollywood and local films. Every year Hollywood films earn handsomely on Pakistani box office but it is less than the Bollywood films.

2015 is the year in which few Hollywood films earned much more than Bollywood movies in Pakistan. The business of Hollywood films is helped by the high price of ticket, where the average price of a Bollywood film is 500 rupee in a multiplex the average price of Hollywood film is 700 -800.

This year few Hollywood film surprised even the distributors with their overwhelming business. Most of the Hollywood films in Pakistan are distributed by Foot Print.

The figures of business are taken from the website www.boxofficedetail.com.

Furious 7
Released on 3 April 2015, Furious 7 became the highest earning Hollywood film on Pakistani Box office. It earned a massive amount of 25.03 crore even passing the all time record of Bollywood’s Dhoom3 which earned 25 crore in 2013-14. Fast and Furious 7 was helped by the untimely death of its hero Paul Walker as well, but still the response it received was beyond expectation for any distributor and film maker.

Avengers Age of Ultron
Distributed by Eveready Pictures, this film earned 13.8 crores. It is released on 1 May 2015.

Jurassic World
Released on 12 June 2015, Jurassic World earned 10.55 crore. It was distributed by Foot Print.

Mission Impossible Rogue Nation
Released on 31st July 2015, this film earned 9.65 crore. It was distributed by Foot Print.

Mocking Jay Part 2
Released on 5th November 2015, the business of Mocking Jay Part2 was far below expectation. The film earned less than 3 crore. It was distributed by Foot Print.

Spectre
Released on 12 November 2015, the film earned much less than what is expected from a James Bond film. It was distributed by Foot Print and earned less than 5 crore.

Star Wars
Released on 25th December 2015 by IMGC Global, the business of Star Wars is also less then expectation but official figures are not available yet.

On the whole 2015 proved a good year for cinema in Pakistani, this year all types of film from Hollywood, Bollywood as well as local Pakistani films did decent business. Overall it attracted new investors towards film making as well as cinema industry and 2016 seems to further excel in film business.

Rashid Nazir Ali

The year 2015 is concluding in few days and here is a roundup of main Bollywood films released in Pakistan this year. Bollywood films are extremely popular in Pakistan and are in fact the backbone for the cinema industry of Pakistan. Bollywood films pulled back the upper middle class audience back to the cinema halls, which otherwise quit watching films in cinema houses in 1980’s. Seeing the overwhelming response to Bollywood films, many new multiplexes are built in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Multan and other cities.

On the political end though it has been a tense year with India, where both countries exchanged shelling on the line of control as well as working boundary. Many Pakistani artists were also attacked in India, while release of few Pakistani films was banned in few states of India. Few circles in Pakistan demanded a ban on the screening of Bollywood movies, but despite this tense situation the Bollywood crazy Pakistani cine-goers kicked out this theory of inter-mingling politics with entertainment. The marvelous and splendid success of Bollywood movies on Pakistani box office proved how much big-hearted the Pakistani cine-goers are.

In past five years Bollywood films have conquered many box office records in Pakistan and this year they continued their steep progress graph. The leading distributor of Bollywood films in Pakistan is IMGC Global(Geo Films) howoever 2015 saw a new entrant Everready Pictures & Hum Films which bought the distribution rights of Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Dilwale two of the most successful films of 2015.

Almost 50 Bollywood films were released in 2015, and here are the leading Bollywood films which made headlines for their business in Pakistan. The figures of business are taken from the website www.boxofficedetail.com

PK
It was released in December 2014, but proved so much successful that its screened continued till February 2015. Past trends shows that the Bollywood films released in the month of December earn big and PK continued the same trend. The film earned 24 crore on Pakistani box office and made its way to the top five highest earning films in Pakistan, just behind another Bollywood film Dhoom3 which earned 25 crore in 2013-14. PK was distributed by IMGC Global.

Badlapur
Badlapur is released on 20th February 2015. The film earned 4.55 crore rupees on Pakistani box office and became the first hit bollywood film of 2015. Badlapur was distributed by IMGC Global.

Gabbar Is Back
Gabbar Is Back is released 1 May 2015 and it earned 3.75. It was distributed by IMGC Global.

Tannu Weds Mannu Returns
Released on 22 May 2015, this film earned 5.5. crore. It was distributed by IMGC Global

Hamari Adhuri Kahani
Released on 12 June 2015, this film earned 3.55 crore. It was distributed by IMGC Global

Dil Dhadakne Do
Released on 5 June 2015, this film earned 7 crore. It was distributed by Summit Entertainment.

Bajrangi Bhaijan
Released on 19th July 2015, Bajrangi Bhaijan is the most successful Bollywood film of 2015 in Pakistan. The film recieved massive response despite facing competition from two Urdu films Wrong No. and Bin Roye. It outshined all the others film released on Eidul Fitr and due to its high demand many shows alloted to other films were cancelled. The film earned a huge amount of 23.2 crore. It was distributed by Everready Productions.

Brothers
Released on 14th August 2015 on the independance day of Pakistan, Brothers was competing with three Urdu films Moor, Dekh Magar Pyar Se and Shah. Brothers proved the clear choice of cine-goers on the Pakistani independance day. While all the three Urdu films struggled for viewership, Brothers earned a handsome amount of 6.45 crore. It was distributed by IMGC Global.

Welcome Back
The march of Brothers was halted by Welcome Back released on 4 September 2015. The devoted Bollywood fans Welcomed this movie with open heart and it earned 9.55 crores. It was distributed by IMGC Global.

Singh Is Bling
Released on 2 October 2015, this film earned 5.05 crore. It was distributed by IMGC Global.

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo
Released on 12 November 2015, this film earned nearly 9 crore in Pakistan. It was distributed by IMGC Global.

Tamasha
Tamasha was released on 27 November 2015 and earned in the range of 6 – 7 crore. It was distributed by IMGC Global. Tamsha also starred Pakistani artist Javed Sheikh in a supporting role.

Dilwale
Released on 18th December, Dilwale is still running jam packed in all the cinemas of Pakistan. The film has earned around 20 crore so far is the highest earning film of Shahrukh Khan in Pakistan. The film is expected to takeover the record of Bajrangi Bhaijan as the highest earning Bollywood film in 2015 in Pakistan. Dilwale was distributed by Everready Productions.

Bajirao Mastani
Released on 18th December, Bajirao Mastani also earned nearly 7 crore. The film faced a tough time in the Federal Censor board but was eventually cleared. Bajirao Mastani was distributed by IMGC Global.

Rashid Nazir Ali

Year 2014 is ending within few weeks and the recap of films released in this year is the subject of this article.

This year few Pakistan films mainly in Urdu, Punjabi and Pashto language are released. Five Urdu, Two Punjabi, Eight Pashto and one multi-lingual (Urdu, Pashto, Dari, English) films were released throughout the year. One Urdu film Na Maloom Afraad was superhit whereas the multi-lingual film O21 did average business. Both Punjabi films were flops. The pashto films performed well in the province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa only.

Urdu Films:
After record breaking success of Waar in the last quarter of 2013 there were high hopes of more quality films however only five Urdu films were released in 2014. Ironically no urdu film is screened in first half of 2014.

The System:
The System was the first Urdu film of 2014 released on 31st May 2014.Starring Sheraz Ghafoor Butt, Nadeem, Kashaf Ali, Irfan Khosat, Shafqat Ali Cheema, Saima Saleem, Nayyer Ejaz, Saira, Saleem Shah and Maryam Ali Hussain, the film was directed by Shahzad Ghafoor Butt, written by Wajid Zuberi and produced by Ghuafoor Butt. Shailesh Suvarna from India is the music composer while all songs were recorded in Indian voice except one duet by Komal Rizvi. The film also featured on Item Song ‘Naughty Sayyan’ filmed on Maryam Ali Hussain. Despite high hopes the film did not impress the cine goers.

The System was produced under the banner of Green Chillies Entertainment and ARY Films distributed the film.The film was shot in Pakistan and Norway.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1rg4so_the-system-trailer_shortfilms

Tammanna:
Tammana is released on 6th June 2014. It is a British-Pakistani film directed and written by Steven Moor and produced by Sarah Tareen. Starring Mehreen Raheel,Omair Rana,Salman Shahid,Feryal Gauhar the music was composed by Sahir Ali Bagga. It was based on 1970’s play Sleuth by Anthony Shaffer. Tammana was an experimental film and as expected fall flat at box office. Tammana also featured three songs in the voices of Ali Azmat, Amanat Ali and Rahat Fateh Ali.

Tammana was produced under the banner of Concordia Productons and ARY Films was the distributor.

Sultanat:
A big budgeted movie starring Indian and Pakistani artists, Sultanat is released on Eidul Fitr on July 29th, 2014. It was produced by Aslam Bhatti, directed by Syed Faisal Bukhari and written by Pervaiz Kaleem. The cast of the film includes Aslam Bhatti, Javaid Shaikh , Sila Hussan , Deepak Shirke,Akashdeep Saigal, Shweta Tiwari ,Zainab Qayyum ,Nayyar Ejaz ,Shabbir Jan ,Mustafa Qureshi and Mona Lizza (Sara Loren). Sajid Hussain was the music composer, one song in the voice of Shahida Mini was remix of famous Punjabi song Sonne Di Tavitri. Sara Loren performed on the Item Song of this film.

As per press reports though Sultunat earned 4-5 crore (40-50 million), but it failed to recover its claimed cost of 22 crore (220 million).

Sultunat was produced by AB Productions and distributed by ARY Films. The film was shot in Thailand, UAE and Pakistan.

Dukhtar:

Dukhtar was released on 18 September 2014. The film is directed and written by Aafia Nathaniel. Its main cast consists of Samiya Mumtaz, Mohib Mirza, Saleha Aref, Asif Khan, Ajab Gul, Samina Ahmed, Adnan Shah Tipu, Abdullah Jaan, Omair Rana. Sahir Ali Bagga was the composer of three songs in the voices of Hina Nasarullah, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shafqat Amanat Ali. Dukhtar was not a commercial success but was praised by critics of English Newspapers. The film is also selected for OScar Nomination from Pakistan.

The production company was Zambeel Films and The Crew Films and it was distributed by Geo Films. It was shot on the scenic locations of Gilgit Baltistan.Dukhtar was released with Indian film Khoobsorat and perhaps it suffered on Box office as Khoobsorat attracted all the attention.

http://vimeo.com/101225933

Na Maloom Afraad
Na Maloom Afraad was the last Urdu film released in 2014 on Eidul Azha in October 2014 and proved successful. The film is still running in single screen cinemas in various cities. It was the only Urdu film which can be labelled as Made in Pakistan as all the crew members were Pakistanis from actors, singers, choreographer to composer. Produced by Fizza Ali Meerza, directed by Nabeel Qureshi and written by both Fizza Ali Meerza the film stars Fahad Mustafa, Jawed Sheikh, Mohsin Abbass, Urwa Hocaine, Salman Shahid, Umber Khan, and British actress Kubra Khan while Mehwish Hayyat had a guest appearance in the item song Billi. Shani & Kami composed the music while Sajjad Ali, Mohsin Abbas Haider, Sara Raza and others provided vocals.

The production company was Filmwala productions and Hum Films distributed the film. The film was shot entirely in Karachi.

Na Maloom Afraad is the most successful film of 2014. As per press reports the film has a budget of 8-9 (80-90 million) crore rupees and till date it has earned above 11 crores (110 million). Surprisingly the film competed well with Indian films Bang Bang and later Happy New Year.

Na Maloom Afraad was announced in January 2014 and completed and released within same year unlike many other films which are under production for past two three years.

Multi-lingual film O21:
One multi-lingual film O21 was released on 2014 on Eidul Azha. It was in Dari, Pashto, Urdu and English languages.It was produced by Azaan Sami Khan and Zeba Bakhyar and directed by Summer Nicks and Jami. The main cast consists of Shaan Shahid,Shamoon Abbasi,Aamina Sheikh,Ayub Khoso,Gohar Rasheed, Hameed Sheikh and others. The film has no song.

The production companies were One Motion Pictures,Azad Film Company,Interactive Studios and ARY Films was the distributor. O21 performed average at box office mainly in multiplexes cinemas. The film failed to recover its cost too.

Punjabi films
Two low budget Punjabi films Lafanga and Jalway were released only in Punjab in 2014 and both failed to attract viewers. Jalway starred Khushboo and Saud, while Lafanga starred Iftikhar Thakur.

Pashto films
Total eight pashto films were released this year only in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Karachi. The names of films wer Tamashbeen, Kukkay Khan, Aazari, Orbal, I miss You, Badmashon ke Badmash, Jaji Naroki, Zarayay Wabud Amla.

This year Zara Sheikh and Meera also started their Pashto film career.Pashto film is considered a safe investment and it easily recovers its cost.

So it wraps up the roundup of Pakistani films released in the year 2014.

Do share your views. Thanks for your time.

Rashid Nazir Ali

Year 2014 is ending within few weeks and the recap of foreign films released in this year is the subject of this article.

Indian films:
Indian films are extremely popular in our country and like previous years more than 40 Indian films were released this year. Five Indian films also feautred Paksitani artists in lead roles which is perhaps maximum in a calendar year.

The films released this year includes Dedh Ishqiya, Yaaryian, Jao Ho,Hansi to Phansi, Yarab, Kaho Na Kaho, Gulab Gang,Total Siyyapa, Highway, Shaadi Ke Side Effects, Ragni MMS, O Teri, Youngistan, Mein Tera Hero, Bhootnath Return, Revolver Rani, Purani Jeans, Angry Youngman, Heropanti, Holiday, Figli, Humshakals, Hate Story 2, Kick,Mardani, Raja Natwarlal, Creature 3D, Finding Fenny, Bobi Jasoos, Khoobsorat, Bang Bang, Happy New Year, Queen, Super Naani, The Shoqins, Kill Dil, Happy Ending, Ungli, Action Jackson whereas few other films will also release in concluding weeks of this year like PK. Most of the films were distributed by Geo Films while few were by Hum Films and Express Films.

Business wise Dhoom3 tops the list, though it was released in last week of 2013 the film was superhit throught out the country making all time new records of revenue collection. Dhoom 3 earned more than 25 crores and it was distributed by Geo Films.

In February, screening of Indian films was put on hold for few weeks due to a hearing in Lahore High Court and it deserted the cinema halls. Thus proving that Indian films are essential for cinema industry in Pakistan. However the ban was lifted after few weeks, as the case was removed from Lahore High Court.

It is not possible to discuss each film, so this article is limited to most successful and films featuring Pakistani artists.

Total Siyyapa
Featuring Ali Zafar in lead role Total Sayyapa is released in March. Despite a good starting weekend overall the film business was disappointing in Pakistan. Geo Films was the distributor.

Kick
Kick featuring Salman Khan is screened on Eidul Fitr in end of July. The film made new record of opening week earning bypassing Waar and Dhoom3. Hum Films was the distributor.

Raja Natwarlal
Featuring Humaima Malik and Emran Hashmi in lead roles the film was released in August 2014 and failed to attract viewership. Geo films was the distributor.

Creature 3D
Imran Abbas and Bipasha Basu were in the lead cast of this film. Despite first Bollywood film of Imran Abbas, business wise it was a disappointment. Geo Films was the distributor.

Khoobsorat
The first Indian film of Fawwad Khan was quite successful in multiplexes. The film released the same week Pakistani film Dukhtar was released in September 2014 and it was a clear winner in the race. Hum Films distributed the film.

Bang Bang
Starring Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif, the film was released just before Eidul Azha in October 2014 and was quite successful.Geo films distributed the film.

Happy New Year
Starring Shahrukh Khan, the film is released in last week of OCtober 2014 and was quite successful.Geo films distributed this film.

Kill Dil
Starring Ali Zafar the film is released in November 2014. Despite a good starting weekend overall the film business was disapponting. Geo Films was the distributor.

PK
Starring Aamir Khan this film is due to release in coming weeks and is also expected to do good business like Dhoom 3 last year which also featured Aamir Khan.

Turkish Films
After seeing the overwhelming success of Turkish Dramas, first Turkish film was also released in Pakistan this year.

Mohabbat Ek Ittefaq
It was the first ever Turkish film to be released in Pakistan and distributed by Express Films. The film was released in February when screening of Indian films were temporarily banned by a stay order from Lahore High Court. Mohabbat Ek Ittefaq i.e. Ask Tesadüfleri Sever in Turkish is one of the successful film of Turkey released in 2011.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1c568e_mohabbat-ek-ittifaq-in-urdu-trailer_shortfilms

The film has an interesting story. But despite no competitor the film proved dead flop at box office. The failure of this film dashed the hopes of the other distributors who were planning to import further Turkish and Iranian films.

English Films
English films or Hollywood movies are also released. Hollywood movies were distributed by Geo Films, Express Films and Hum Films. Unlike other foreign films the details of English films and their business is not published in press.

So it wraps up the roundup of foreign films released in the year 2014.

Do share your views. Thanks for your time.

Reference: The information of Indian films released is taken from this article in Urdu Daily Dunya
http://e.dunya.com.pk/index.php?e_name=LHR&edate=2014-12-02&page=29

Rashid Nazir Ali