The Legend of Maula Jatt

The Legend of Maula Jatt is a 2022 Pakistani Punjabi-language action drama film directed by Bilal Lashari, who co-wrote it with Nasir Adeeb. Based on characters created by Adeeb for the 1979 film Maula Jatt, it stars Fawad Khan as Maula Jatt, alongside Hamza Ali Abbasi, Humaima Malik, Faris Shafi and Mahira Khan. The film follows Maula Jatt, a local folk hero who confronts Noori Natt, the leader of a rival clan. Lashari announced a new Maula Jatt film in 2013 and developed it as an adaptation rather than a direct remake. Ammara Hikmat and Asad Jamil Khan produced the film. Production began in January 2017, and principal photography concluded in June 2019. Its release was delayed by a copyright dispute with Muhammad Sarwar Bhatti, the producer of the 1979 film, and later by the COVID-19 pandemic. With a reported budget of $4.6 million, it was described as Pakistan's most expensive film production at the time. The Legend of Maula Jatt premiered in Lahore on 12 October 2022 and was released theatrically the following day. The film later opened in China in May 2026. It became the highest-grossing Pakistani film and the highest-grossing Punjabi-language film worldwide, with reported earnings of over Rs. 400 crore by August 2023. Reviewers praised the film's scale, direction and action sequences, while criticism focused on its pacing, story structure and some performances.