fter dropping its first official look in 2018, Bilal Lashari’s The Legend of Maula Jatt, a magnum opus featuring Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Humaima Malik and several other actors, disappeared from the public eye.

With Fawad Khan as protagonist, joined by Mahira Khan as his love interest, and Hamza Ali Abbasi as the antagonist playing characters that originate from the old days of cinema - albeit in a refreshing take by director Bilal Lashari - the teaser teased fans but soon the film got further delayed. Then came Covid-19 and shifted everything as the world including Pakistan grappled with the virus.

Years later, it looks like The Legend of Maula Jatt  is getting ready to release.

The film is directed by Bilal Lashari and produced by Ammara Hikmat under the joint vnture of Encyclomedia & Lashari films in association with AAA Motin Pictures. The filmmakers have partnered with Geo Films as their presenting partner, the largest media group and key contributor of the revival of cinema in Pakistan.

It will be locally distributed by Nadeem Mandviwalla of Mandviwalla Entertainment, who is well known for his contribution to cinema. Internationally, the film will be distributed by MovieGoers Entertainment.

The anticipated all-star film has dropped a slick new trailer and one that is unlike the teaser.

With a running time of 2 minutes and 46 seconds, the film whose true crux is the rivalry between Maula Jatt (Fawad Khan) and Noori Nath (Hamza Ali Abbasi) takes us back to the beginning. It delves deeper into the storyline as well as how the two men cannot reign at the same time. It showcases the rage of Maula Jatt, the tribal clans and how decisions were made. The arrival of Noori Nath could mean the end of Maula Jatt. The former appears in shackles and embodies a kind of cruel arrogance that’s almost visible in his eyes while Maula Jatt appears just as confident, aching for vengeance but not nefarious.

Apart from Fawad’s Maula Jatt and Hamza Ali Abbasi’s Noori Nath, other actors such as Mirza Gohar Rasheed, Faris Shafi, Mahira Khan, Nayyer Ejaz, Ali Azmat, Humaima Malick, Shafqat Cheema, Raheela Agha, Zia Khan and Saima Baloch make up the rest of the cast. And many can be seen in the trailer if you focus.

Through the trailer, released earlier this month, what is palpable is how relationships are written in blood and loyalties come into question as the binary rivalry from time immemorial of good versus evil appears to be the main theme. If Noori Nath is the strongest warrior, Maula Jatt with his zeal for vengeance appears to be just as ferocious.

While the film is based on characters that are very Pakistani, the film also features iconic dialogues by Nasir Adeeb and is essentially Lashari’s take on the story, not an imitation.

With Fawad Khan’s appearance in Ms. Marvel, Mahira Khan’s release from 2022, Quaid e Azam Zindabad, both are active on the acting front. Though this film is not exactly about their shared romance on the big screen, it is a prelude to a future project where the two will star opposite each other in focus. But that’s later.

The Legend of Maula Jatt has survived issues of copyright and legal matters, and director Bilal Lashari (and the film’s producers) have finally confirmed a release date, which is October 13, 2022 across Pakistan and worldwide.

The kind of response the teaser trailer got, looked to be the start of what may be the most ambitious Pakistani film to date. Will it receive a glorious response from the audience given that the film has employed Punjabi language substantially will be the real litmus test. Though the quotient of violence is higher than in your typical Pakistani film, it also looks like the strongest Pakistani film – in terms of cinematography, the omission of every genre that’s as confusing as it is hilarious and the casting coup alone.

However, only the full film will tell us if it lived up to expectations and the hype or not. The physique of the actors, accent and diction is working in the film’s favor, so, who knows? Watch out for this anticipated film that has been years in the making.