Abu Aleeha’s film ‘Javed Iqbal: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer’ was scheduled to release in theatres in October, 2021 after getting clearance from provincial and central censor boards. However, at eleventh hour, the film’s release was halted by Punjab government. The film was again scheduled to release for a January 2022 release but that plan too couldn’t see the light of day.
Moving on to 2023, the film’s title was changed from ‘Javed Iqbal’ to ‘Kukri’ which is also the title of the book which the film is based on. Few changes in the content were also made and the film was again announced to release on June 2, 2023. However, on May 5, Tauqeer Nasir became the chairman of Punjab censor board and the change in authorities demanded the film to be reviewed again by the board, making its release on time again uncertain.
The latest update on the film is that Punjab censor board has cleared the film after reviewing it on May 22 and now the film will release as per plan on June 2. The censor certificate will be issued today on May 23. A new trailer for ‘Kukri’ will also be released on social media to kick start the last moment promotional campaign.
Based on the investigation into Javed Iqbal, the serial killer who killed 100 young boys in Lahore and sent evidence of his crimes to the authorities and media in 1999, ‘Kukri’ has been written and directed by Abu Aleeha and is produced by Javed Ahmed Kakepoto. It will be released in cinemas by Eveready Pictures.
