Director/Cinematographer
Bilal Lashari, the director of ”WAAR”, has finally revealed his next project which is actually a remake of Lollywood’s Classic movie Maula Jatt.
While talking to Express Tribune, Lashari told, “This will be my take on Gandasa films which are blamed for the death of Lollywood. I think the Gandasa genre was a missed opportunity for Pakistani cinema, and what better choice to utilise it then by paying homage to the cult classic Maula Jatt”
“My version of Maula Jatt will be a visual epic, with less dialogue and many captivating moments. It will be a dark but stylised take on Pakistan’s original film genre.”
While we can tell you that the new Maula Jatt will stay true to the original by being a Punjabi language film, the name of the script writer has not been disclosed as yet. The casting process has just begun and Lashari is looking for younger and fresher faces from Pakistan and is keeping his options open in terms of getting Bollywood stars on board. The shooting locations for the film have not been finalised and neither has the cast.
On the other hand, Mindworks Media and Ary Films have announced the making of Waar 2 which surprisingly, will not be directed Bilal Lashari. This time around, Dr Hasan Waqas Rana will be calling the shots. This certainly doesn’t reduce Lashari’s love for his passion project, which became the highest grossing film in Pakistan. Apart from the fact that it made Lashari the most acclaimed film maker in the country, the film also raised the bar in terms of production value in Pakistani films. There are numerous reasons why Lashari is neither in favour of a sequel being made nor will be onboard as director.
“Waar was something extraordinary for Pakistani cinema and it should just be left alone,” he chuckles. “Personally Waar 2 would mean staying in my safe zone, and like any concerned artist I would rather challenge myself with every new project. If I took the helm for Waar 2, it would be more like taking one step ahead and five steps backwards.”
Ever since Waar was released, the rumour mill has been churning our news that Lashari had a major fall out with Rana, the producer/writer of the film who will now be directing Waar 2. Some said that the reason was based on the producer/director distribution of revenues, while others believed it was due to the criticism that the film was receiving on its script.
“The rumours are completely false, and I share a good relationship with the producer of the film, or I would not be in Dubai busy promoting Waar. Yes, the director-producer relationship is one where you have differences, but they certainly do not outweigh the good times,” Lashari says.
“Maula Jatt will be much bigger and better than Waar, and my fans should keep expectations as high as possible, because that’ll motivate me to meet them.”
