There is so much art around us that sometimes we forget to look at it. Pakistan has never really been short of stories and movies – we have generations of them, sitting in our languages, our music, our families, our history and even in the everyday things we tend to overlook. And when Pakistani filmmakers get the chance to turn those stories into cinema, the result can be pretty special.
Our cinema has gone through its fair share of highs and lows, but the films that stand out prove that Pakistani stories don’t need to imitate anyone else’s formula. They can be funny, uncomfortable, emotional, political, romantic, violent or completely chaotic — sometimes all in the same film.
From stories that challenge social norms to a Punjabi epic that took the world by storm, these four Pakistani films are a reminder that we have always had the talent. Sometimes, we just need to give it a good story and let it shine.
1. Bol
Shoaib Mansoor’s Bol is one of those films that you watch and then realise you have a lot to talk about afterwards. Released in 2011, the film follows a family struggling with money, expectations and the increasingly suffocating rules imposed by its patriarch. At the centre is Zainab, played by Humaima Malick, who is desperately trying to protect her family while fighting against the choices being made for them.
The film doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable subjects either. Gender inequality, poverty, religion, family pressure and the treatment of an intersex child are all woven into the story, making Bol much more than a conventional family drama.
And then there is the cast. Humaima Malick gives the film its emotional centre, while Atif Aslam and Mahira Khan make their acting debuts here. Iman Ali, Manzar Sehbai and Shafqat Cheema also add to a cast that makes the story feel lived-in rather than simply performed. What makes Bol worth a watch is that it doesn’t try to make difficult conversations comfortable. It puts them right in front of you and makes you sit with them.
2. Khuda Kay Liye
If Bol made us look inward, Khuda Kay Liye made Pakistani cinema look at some much bigger questions.
Shoaib Mansoor’s 2007 film stars Shaan Shahid, Fawad Khan and Iman Ali, with Naseeruddin Shah also appearing in a pivotal role. The story follows two musicians whose lives take very different turns as questions around religion, extremism, identity and freedom begin to consume them. What makes the film particularly powerful is the time in which it was made. It explores the consequences of 9/11 and the way extremism and the idea of jihad were being misunderstood and manipulated, while also looking at what happens when personal beliefs are used to control someone else’s life.
And yes, it is also a chance to go back and watch Fawad Khan before the era of Humsafar, Kapoor & Sons and The Legend of Maula Jatt. His performance here feels very different from the roles we know him for today. Khuda Kay Liye is not exactly a light Friday-night watch, but it is the kind of Pakistani film that makes you realise how much our cinema was willing to say when it had the space to do so. I recently rewatched it, after an Instagram reel and it had the same impact as it did the first time.
3. The Legend of Maula Jatt
Then came The Legend of Maula Jatt, and Pakistani cinema basically decided it was time to go BIG.
Bilal Lashari’s 2022 Punjabi-language epic takes the legendary rivalry between Maula Jatt and Noori Natt and gives it an entirely new cinematic life. Fawad Khan plays Maula Jatt, while Hamza Ali Abbasi takes on the role of Noori Natt, with Mahira Khan, Humaima Malick, Gohar Rasheed and Faris Shafi also part of the cast. The film is everything you want from a larger-than-life Punjabi epic: dramatic entrances, brutal fights, unforgettable dialogues, elaborate costumes and enough intensity to keep you glued to the screen.
But the real achievement is how authentically Pakistani it feels while looking like a film made for a global audience. Lashari took a story deeply rooted in Punjabi folklore and didn’t water it down to make it more accessible. Instead, he leaned into it – the language, the characters, the violence, the music and the entire visual world. And the casting was chef’s kiss. Fawad’s brooding Maula, Hamza’s menacing Noori, Mahira’s Mukkho and Humaima’s Daaro each bring something different to the film.
If you haven’t watched The Legend of Maula Jatt yet, this is your sign. Preferably on a very big screen.
4. Cake
And then there is Cake, which proves Pakistani cinema doesn’t always need a huge conflict to make you care.
Asim Abbasi’s 2018 film stars Aamina Sheikh, Sanam Saeed and Adnan Malik, with Mohammad Ahmad and Beo Raana Zafar also playing important roles. The story revolves around two sisters, Zareen and Zara, who return home as their family deals with their father’s declining health – and, naturally, all the unresolved history between them comes along too.
The beauty of Cake is how ordinary its world feels. There are no exaggerated villains or massive cinematic twists needed. It is about siblings who know exactly how to annoy each other, parents who carry their own secrets and a family trying to figure itself out. Aamina Sheikh and Sanam Saeed are particularly brilliant together because their relationship feels genuinely complicated. You can believe these women have spent years loving each other, irritating each other and carrying old grudges into every conversation.
And for the film nerds, Cake also has a pretty impressive filmmaking moment: its climax was shot as a continuous 10-minute take, moving through multiple rooms and characters without cuts. It’s warm, funny, uncomfortable and emotional in equal measure – basically, a family gathering turned into a movie.
Pakistani Cinema Has The Stories
These four films couldn’t be more different, and that is exactly what makes them worth putting together. Different languages, different genres and completely different worlds – but all of them feel ours.
Because that is what Pakistani cinema has going for it. We have the folk stories, the music, the humour, the family drama, the history and the characters. We have actors who can carry them and filmmakers who, when given the opportunity, can turn them into something genuinely beautiful. Maybe the conversation shouldn’t always be about whether Pakistani cinema is good enough. Maybe we should be asking what else it could do if we kept giving such stories the chance.