Review: The Legend of Maula Jatt

The long awaited film finally hit the cinema screens this week. The film was actually finished in 2019, but due to copyright lawsuit filed by the producer of the 1979 original Maula Jatt, the film could not be released. But come 2022, and we finally got to see the masterpiece.

The remake differs from the original in both the cast and the script. But the thing that stands out the most is the level of production. It will be true to say that The Legend of Maula Jatt was no less than a Hollywood blockbuster in terms of production quality. Whether it is the cinematography, CGI, sound design or the costume, the film delivered superbly. The action sequences were the best I have seen in a Pakistani film.

Fawad Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi gave stellar performances, but in my opinion the show stealer was most definitely Gohar Rasheed. Gohar brilliantly captured the mercilessness and malevolence of Maakha Natt. Mahira Khan on the other hand felt a forced character. I think the director was hoping to attract the audiences with the Fawad-Mahira chemistry but her character was not as impactful as the others. On top of that, Mahira also had the most flawed Punjabi accent amongst the cast. Even though Mahira herself is not a Punjabi but her accent could easily be improved with the help of dialect coach. Fawad who himself did not grow up speaking Punjabi spoke the language flawlessly. 

The Legend of Maula Jatt will surely pave way for more Punjabi films and epics. The "Gandasa" can be a staple of Pakistani cinema just like the sword is of Japanese and the revolver is of American west.