Pakistani films had a mixed 2017

By Omair Alavi The year 2017 didnΓÇÖt take the struggling Pakistani industry forward but backward as only 16 Urdu language films were released as compared to the 25 in 2016. More films flopped than succeeded resulting in another overrated year for the local film industry. LetΓÇÖs analyze the 16 films released in the last 12...

SAMAA | Omair Alavi - Posted: Jan 2, 2018 | Last Updated: 4 years ago

By Omair Alavi

The year 2017 didnΓÇÖt take the struggling Pakistani industry forward but backward as only 16 Urdu language films were released as compared to the 25 in 2016. More films flopped than succeeded resulting in another overrated year for the local film industry. LetΓÇÖs analyze the 16 films released in the last 12 months to find out how they fared and which film ended in hits, and which films didnΓÇÖt.

Thora Jee Le (January) FLOP

Rafay RashdiΓÇÖs directorial debut featured new faces yet with a flawed script and bad editing, it did no favour to the struggling industry and fared badly at the box office.

Balu Mahi (February) FLOP

Fans of Osman Khalid Butt were waiting for his first feature film which turned out to be the plagiarized version of Bollywood flicks Jab We Met and Dil Bolay Hadippa.

Whistle (February) FLOP

One of those films that shouldnΓÇÖt have been released at all ΓÇô below average and pathetic. Some cinemas even had no audience in the opening shows, prompting them to give the slot to some other flick.

Raasta (March) FLOP

Sahir LodhiΓÇÖs debut directorial venture in which he played the lead lasted just one week and he blamed the critics for his filmΓÇÖs dismissal performance.

Chalay Thay Saath (April) AVERAGE

The film introduced TV actors Syra Shehroz, Mansha Pasha to films and had a Chinese American actor Kent S. Leung in the lead. An improved script could have made this film the first hit of the year.

Yalghaar (June) FLOP

The war film ΓÇô based on a real-life incident ΓÇô failed to do well at the box office simply because it was claimed to be the most expensive film and failed to retrieve the investment both locally and internationally.

Mehrunisa V Lub U (June) HIT

Yasir NawazΓÇÖs social comedy managed to recover its investment but had it been clean of vulgar dialogues, double meaning jokes and had an improved screenplay, it would surely have done well.

Geo Sar Utha Kay (August) FLOP

The film reintroduced Babar Ali to the cinema but stale acting from the lead as well as overacting from the villains ensured that the film tanked without a trace.

Chain Aye Na (August) FLOP

Syed Noor labeled all those who didnΓÇÖt like his films as Indian agents but didnΓÇÖt take a second look at his film which seemed like a blast from the 90s. Shehroze SabzwariΓÇÖs defense also didnΓÇÖt help much!

Punjab Nahi Jaungi (September) HIT

PNJ was to 2017 what Jawani Phir Nahi Ani was to 2015. The first hit of the year was a result of Humayun Saeed ΓÇô Nadeem Baig collaboration and made the audience fall in love with Mehwish Hayat.

Na Maloom Afraad 2 (September) HIT

The quick-paced Na Maloom Afraad 2 by Nabeel Qureshi and Fizza Ali Meerza became the second biggest hit of the year despite being banned in the Gulf States as well as in Punjab (for a day).

Saawan (September) AVERAGE

The only Pakistani film in 2017 to shine at international festivals; however it failed at the box office due to its non-commercial value.

Verna (November) AVERAGE

Shoaib MansoorΓÇÖs first film since 2011 was a disaster as it tackled the sensitive subject of rape in a stupid manner. Not even Mahira KhanΓÇÖs star value was enough to save the film from being a disaster.

Rangreza (December) CURRENTLY IN CINEMAS

Aamir MohiuddinΓÇÖs long-awaited movie was released ahead of the Christmas weekend but fared badly due to technical issues, hopeless story, and too-loud-to-be-true acting.

Arth (December) CURRENTLY IN CINEMAS

Shaan ShahidΓÇÖs first directorial venture since Zille Shah did well in Punjab but wasnΓÇÖt appreciated in other cities; it was expected to change the game, being the updated remake of Mahesh BhattΓÇÖs classic of the same name.

Chupan Chupai (December) CURRENTLY IN CINEMAS

Ahsan Khan makes a welcome return to films and manages to win over the audience with the help of Neelam Munir, Faizan Khawaja, Ali Rizvi as well as new entrants into filmdom from NAPA.