The renowned director Bilal Lashari recently did an interview and shared some insights into his upcoming film The Legend of Maula Jatt, and explained why he cast ‘mild and well-mannered boys’ Fawad Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi in the roles of Maula Jatt and Noori Nath respectively.
Many fans of the original movie are not ready to accept these ‘burger boys’ in the reprisal of the tough and rugged characters that were originally played by Sultan Rahi and Mustafa Qureshi.
Lashari defended his decision saying,
In your eyes, these are ‘mommy daddy guys’ but in reality, they are the superstars of the country and the audience loves to see them onscreen. And you will be surprised when you will see their work regardless of what their true nature is.
Here is the full interview:
Regarding Abbasi’s transformation into the character of the savage Noori Nath and if it was Lashari’s guidance or if the actor had to dig deep to get into the character, Abbasi told Geo TV that “it was a joint effort”.
He clarified that “Bilal Lashari is the kind of director who gives you the overall arc of the character, basically the general idea of it and then he’s somebody who will let you play with it”.
‘Noori Nuts’
Abbasi laughed and revealed,
So I have that basic idea with me, then to fill the specific colors in the character, Billy [Lashari] gave me a free hand saying you do whatever you want. He said ‘Go nuts with it, That’s why he lovingly calls me Noori Nuts.
The Legend of Maula Jatt is reportedly a ‘hard reboot’ of the 1979 classic Maula Jatt, remade with international standard VFX expertise. The story revolves around Maula Jatt and his rival Noori Natt. Lashari picked some of the finest talents of the industry for it, including Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Humaima Malick, and Gohar Rasheed.
This most anticipated film after the pandemic is finally being released on 13 October in leading cinemas across the country, and advance bookings for tickets opened last week.
What do you think about these statements by Bilal Lashari and Hamza Ali Abbasi? Share your thoughts below.
