The Pulse | Society | South Asia

Pakistan’s Biggest Film Is Going to China. The Real Test for Cultural Ties Comes After.

Can “The Legend of Maula Jatt” win over Chinese audiences and pave the way for more Pakistani films?

A promotional photo for the film “The Legend of Maula Jatt.”

Mutual interests often bring culturally distinct states together, and the China-Pakistan friendship is a major testament to that, as it is heavily defined by a common strategic objective to manage India’s influence in South Asia. This relationship, often described as one between “iron brothers,” has largely revolved around military and economic cooperation, notably through defense deals and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). 

Yet, for all its celebrated depth, the relationship has scarcely developed a cultural life of its own. Therefore, the release of the Pakistani film “The Legend of Maula Jatt” on May 21 in China is a major step in cultural exchange. This development was announced by the film’s director, Bilal Lashari, on his X handle with a Mandarin-dubbed trailer. It marks a rare breakthrough for Pakistani cinema as the film secured a place in China’s tightly restricted foreign-film quota market, which is a significant leap forward in a relationship where cultural exchange has long lagged behind political relations. 

The choice of this movie makes perfect sense. “The Legend of Maula Jatt” is the biggest film ever made by Pakistan, in terms of both budget and box-office revenue. It took nearly a decade to finally hit the screen, which was an extraordinary gamble for a big-budget film in a nascent industry like Lollywood. But “The Legend of Maula Jatt” stormed the box office when it was finally released in 2022, and it grossed around $14 million globally, something which was previously considered out of reach for any Pakistani movie. 

Most importantly, it brought back the gandasa genre, which focuses on a rural protagonist’s bloody quest for revenge. The obsession with gandasa was deemed to be the reason for the Pakistani cinema’s repetitive rut and eventual downfall. But the origins of gandasa were never as blood-soaked as the genre later turned out to be. The Maula Jatt tradition derives from Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi’s short story “Gandasa,” which is less a celebration of vengeance and more a warning about the cost of justice and retribution. Turning the moral unease into spectacle, Lashari revived the mythology as Pakistan’s most polished modern magnum opus.

The upcoming China release of “The Legend of Maula Jatt” also has a tinge of missed opportunity. The film’s release in India never materialized due to continuous cancellations because of strained India-Pakistan bilateral relations and right-wing political opposition in India. Still, its long absence from streaming platforms after its 2022 release also preserved its theatrical value abroad, whether by design or by accident. 

It is worth noting that there was some previous cultural traffic between Chinese and Pakistani filmmakers. Kent S. Leung, a Chinese actor, appeared in a Pakistani flick, “Chalay Thay Saath,” while a Pakistani aviation film, “Parwaaz Hai Junoon,” was released in China as a gesture of friendship in 2020. “Ba’Tie Girl” was the first major China-Pakistan co-production. But none of those efforts created a lasting momentum. 

The limited success of cultural diplomacy is often attributed to language barriers, cultural distance, poor promotion, and no sustained exchange. That is why “The Legend of Maula Jatt” is more significant, because it is not merely a friendship project dressed as a film. It is a homegrown Pakistani hit, embraced first by its own........

© The Diplomat