Fawad Khan's Pakistani film The Legend of Maula Jatt to release in India this week amid political opposition

Despite opposition from some political parties, Pakistani film The Legend of Maula Jatt will be releasing in India later this week, exhibitors have announced. The Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan-starrer is the highest-grossing film in Pakistan cinema’s history. It was earlier reported that a few exhibitors had been planning to release the film in India, upon which Maharashtra Navanirman Sena had opposed the move.

Due to the fraught relations between India and Pakistan, no Pakistani film has been released in India in 10 years. Similarly, Indian films are not released in Pakistan as well and Pakistani artistes like Fawad Khan are banned from working in India. The Legend of Maula Jatt may break that trend now if it releases, as planned. As per a report by PTI, the film will be released in select screens in Delhi and Punjab on December 30.

“It will be played in Punjab and a few theatres in Delhi in INOX where there are Punjabi speaking people,” Rajender Singh Jyala, chief progamming officer, INOX Leisure Ltd, told PTI. Another multiplex chain, PVR Cinemas, had shared the announcement about the release on its official Instagram page but deleted it later. “Presenting the official poster of #TheLegendofMaulaJatt! Coming to PVR this Friday,” the post had read.

The Legend of Maula Jatt is a Punjabi-language film starring Fawad, Mahira, Hamza Ali Abbasi, and Humaima Malik. The film, which released in Pakistan on October 13, is an adaptation of the 1979 Pakistani classic Maula Jatt. Since its release, it has broken several box office records in Pakistan and overseas, becoming the highest-grossing Pakistanti film ever, with worldwide gross of PKR 238.90 crore (Rs 87.26 crore).