After over a decade, cinema-goers in India will be able to witness the first Pakistani film on big screens. The Legend of Maula Jatt led by Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan is ready to premiere in Indian theatres on October 2. The action-thriller was originally released in 2022. On Wednesday, the makers dropped the film's poster on Instagram announcing the Indian release date. “Two years on, The Legend of Maula Jatt is still unstoppable. Witness the epic saga on the big screen in India from 2nd October 2024. Cinema listing to be shared soon” read the side note. Directed by Bilal Lashari, The Legend of Maula Jatt also features Hamza Ali Abbasi, Humaima Malik and Saima Baloch in important roles. The movie revolves around the rivalry between a barbaric gang leader Noori Natt (Hamza Ali Abbasi) and a local hero Maula Jatt (Fawad Khan).
Re-sharing the poster of The Legend of Maula Jatt on her Instagram Stories, Mahira Khan wrote, “Let's go”. Fawad Khan re-posted the poster minus any caption.
Bilal Lashari shared the update on his Instagram timeline as well.“Releasing in India, Punjab on Wednesday 2nd Oct! Two years in, and still house full on weekends in Pakistan! Now, I can't wait for our Punjabi audience in India to experience the magic of this labour of love,” he wrote.
After the Uri terror attack in 2016, Pakistani artists were banned from working in India. The Supreme Court has, however, dismissed a plea that forbade Pakistani celebrities from appearing or working in India in November 2023.
Back in July, Fawad Khan apologised for his time away from the Indian audiences. He said, “I have always been very thankful to fans who have waited for me and I apologise for making them wait for so long. But it was not in my hands. "I'm a firm believer that everything has its own time... You say that 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' but we also have another saying, 'aankh ojhal, pahaad ojhal' (out of sight, out of mind). This also happens,” in an interview with news agency PTI over Zoom.
Fawad Khan's latest small-screen appearance was in the supernatural Pakistani show Barzakh which started streaming on Zindagi's YouTube channel and ZEE5. In the show, the actor reunites with his Zindagi Gulzar Hai co-star Sanam Saeed in Barzakh.
Fawad Khan has worked in Bollywood films like Khoobsurat, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Kapoor & Sons. Meanwhile, Mahira Khan made her Bollywood debut with Shah Rukh Khan's Raees.