A Review of "The Legend of Maula Jatt"
By Claire Miles - February 26, 2023

The Legend of Maula Jatt is a 2022 Pakistani Punjabi action film directed by Bilal Lashari. It is an adaptation of the 1979 cult classic ‘Maula Jatt’ with Fawad Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi in lead roles as the hero and the villain respectively. The Legend of Maula Jatt highlights the ancient cultural practices of rural Gujranwala, with clan rivalries and ruling families of villages in full effect. The film is Bilal Lashari’s take on the classic Pakistani Gandasa films, which were widely considered the reason for the death of Pakistani cinema. After the re-emergence of Pakistani cinema with high-budget films and soulful scores and ballads, Bilal Lashari announced the adaptation of the cult classic Maula Jatt in 2013. Many films at the initial stages of rebirth of Pakistani cinema were appreciated for their artistic style and direction, casting and acting, and graphics however, were criticized for the script. Although ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ borrows the plot and storyline, alongside some classic and extremely famous dialogues from the classic 1979 Maula Jatt, the script is close to perfection and brought to life by an extremely talented and star-studded cast. The Legend of Maula Jatt is the highest-grossing Pakistani film of all time and the highest-grossing Punjabi film of all time, breaking box office records in Pakistan and performing exceptionally well overseas as well, grossing 1.3 million pounds in its 5th weekend in the UK.

MADRID, SPAIN - JUNE 24: Fawad Khan attends IIFA Awards 2016 - Rocks Green Carpet at Ifema on June 24, 2016 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Juan Naharro Gimenez/Getty Images)

Getty Images / Getty Images Entertainment / Juan Naharro Gimenez


The film has generally received positive reviews both nationally and internationally, averaging an 8.8 out of 10 score on the IMDb website. Fawad Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Humaima Malik, Gohar Rasheed, and Faris Shafi were specially credited for their roles and acting however, Mahira Khan’s character and delivery were widely criticized. Her Punjabi accent and pronunciation were incorrect and her character was deemed irrelevant and inconsequential to the storyline. The sets, cinematography, musical score, script, and artistic direction were all widely praised.