Eid Ul Fitr 2023 is shaping up to be a film release extravaganza even more than that of 2022. Five films have been locked for official release, with a rumour that one or two more may be on the cards.
Money Back Guarantee
The biggest Eid-ul-Fitr release of 2023 is the multi-starrer “Money Back Guarantee”. Written and directed by comedian Faisal Qureshi, the film is a heist caper which seems to parody not just the popular “Money Heist”, but also the genre of heist movies itself.
Starring Fawad Khan, Waseem Akram and Shaniera Akram, John Rambo, Mani, Javed Sheikh and many, many others, the film looks like it could rake in 50 crore easily.
Huey Tum Ajnabee
“Huey Tum Ajnabee” is directed by veteran film star Kamran Shahid and based on true events surrounding the 1971 Pakistani civil war which resulted in the creation of Bangladesh.
The film stars Samina Peerzada as Indira Gandhi, Adnan Jilani as Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, and Mehmood Aslam as Sheikh Mujib Ur Rehman. It also stars Shafqat Cheema, Sadia Khan, Mikaal Zulfiqar, Shamoon Abbasi, Ayesha Omar, Alyy Khan and Sohail Ahmed.
The film stands a real chance of minting big bucks at the box office.
Daadal
“Daadal” is the latest film in Abu Aleeha’s already long filmography. It stars Sony Hussyn, Shamoon Abbasi, and Mohsin Abbas Haider among others. The film’s teaser provides glimpses into the gang and police conflict and presents Sonya Hussyn in a very different avatar, subverting the heroine trope lime Abu Aleeha had already done with Ayesha Omar in “Javed Iqbal”.
Knowing Abu Aleeha’s track record, the film will more than make its budget back and may even be a hit at the box office.
Dorr
“Dorr” is a revenge film reminiscent of both the 70s low budget Hollywood flicks as well as the 90s Bollywood masala films. It’s about a husband rescuing his wife from a bunch of goons, plain and simple.
It’s a very visceral subject which may well connect to audiences if done right. Directed by Nadeem Cheema, the film stars Asad Mahmood, Shafqat Cheema, Saleem Meiraj and Aslam Hassan among others.
Lahore Qalander
“Lahore Qalander” is the biggest regional Punjabi release of Eid. Directed by Lollywood veteran Shahid Rana and starring Saima Noor, Shafqat Cheema and others, it seems to be about a gang war.
It’s anyone’s guess how this one will fare, but it may make its budget back and then some if audiences connect.
With the entirety of Eid covered by 5 local releases, there will be no shortage of choices.
However, that’s not really a good thing for Pakistani cinema which remains dormant for months at a time.
Keep following PakistaniCinema.Net for further updates.
