KARACHI: Throughout the holy month of Ramazan, there was no expectation in the air or sense of excitement in connection with the films getting released on Eidul Fitr. In fact, it seemed that this year the festive occasion would come and go without a noteworthy movie-going experience.

But, lo and behold! Just as Eid drew closer, a couple of pre-film events happened in the city and, suddenly, it was revealed that more than a dozen movie projects — Pakistani, Indonesian, German, made-in-Hollywood and Indian Punjabi — will hit the cinema screens.

Will there be enough footfall in the cinema houses to watch them, though? In Hamlet’s words, that is the question.

The new (read: previously unreleased) Pakistani movies that will premiere on Eid are Qulfee (directed by Saleem Dad and Mashood Qadri), The Martial Artist (Shaz Khan), Kabeer (Neha Laaj), Half Fry (Abu Aleeha), Lambi Judai (Javed Raza) and a Punjabi film Ishq-e-Lahore (Shahid Rana).

Six Pakistani films Qulfee, The Martial Artist, Kabeer, Half Fry, Lambi Judai and Ishq-e-Lahore to hit cinema screens on Eid

The trend, if it can be called a trend, of Indian Punjabi films seems to be catching up with Pakistani audiences. The ones that can be seen on Eid are: Tennu Ghodi Kinney Chadaya, Sardarji 2 and Mithde.

Sardarji 2 starring Diljit Dosanjh was originally released nine years ago, and its third part is expected to see the light of day later this year. Given that mainly multiplexes screen these movies, although there is a smattering of single screens left in the country, another question that pops to mind is: are they being watched in Punjab — our side of the border, that is? Does Karachi, too, have their takers?

Two of Hollywood ventures that will be in cinema halls are Snow White and A Minecraft Movie.

Going by the reviews that the former has had in the west, one is not optimistic about their reception in our nook of the world. Also, it would be interesting to know how many tickets Mickey 17 and Captain America were able to sell in Karachi before Eid. One’s hunch is, not many.

Two Indonesian films, Anak Kunti and Almarhum, and a German movie, The Bitter Taste have also been lined up for Eid.

Apart from that, there are Pakistani films such as Jawani Phir Nahin Aani and Punjab Nahin Jaungi that are being re-released.

This is a mind-boggling scenario. On the one hand, the progressively thinning number of cine-goers is making cultural critics scratch their heads, on the other hand, the announcement of a host of movies to be shown on Eid is making them wonder… does this all add up?

The fact remains, Pakistan’s cinema industry — some argue it’s not an industry — is facing a serious crisis. There are many reasons for it, one of which is the quality of Pakistani films. That said, if people show up in big numbers to watch the holiday releases, it would be heartening, to say the least. But… for the movie business to succeed at the box office and in the eyes of critics, consistency is key.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2025