The previous decade saw Pakistani cinema emerge from the ashes, receiving a fresh lease of life courtesy a bevy of enterprising new filmmakers and actors. NAPA graduate Mohsin Abbas Haider also rose to prominence during this period, making his presence felt not just as a co-host for a popular comedy show but also as a major actor who worked with some of the best talent the film industry had to offer.  

Characters to remember

Mohsin played the character of Moon in Nabeel Qureshi’s Na Maloom Afraad franchise, which attained much popularity amongst the masses and also brought him critical acclaim. With the series, the actor seemed to have tapped into his niche of playing earthy, unconventional roles others perhaps would find challenging – not exactly the leads, but prominent enough to lend him the star value. 

Following his turn as the small-town boy attempting to striking it big in the NMA series, Mohsin next appeared in Saqib Malik’s Baaji as Amna Ilyas’s on-screen love interest. Once again, Mohsin’s performance as Aji received many kudos and it certainly was no small feat to deliver in three consecutive films made by some of the best in the country. Just around the time when Mohsin’s career was set to fly high after a hat-trick of sorts in the world of films, the now well-known scandal involving his former wife struck like a thunderbolt following which the actor hasn’t been seen on screen.

The re-launch?

It seems audiences would not have to wait much longer to witness Mohsin again on the big screen. The Teri Meri Love Story actor is set to make his comeback in director Abu Aleeha’s upcoming film titled Once Upon A Time In Karachi. The filmmaker has made Kataksha and Tevar previously, both of which released in 2019 to a middling response. From what we know, Abu Aleeha prefers to work with the action, thriller and horror genres and his projects tend to have an indie flavor. He is also quite a prolific filmmaker – Once Upon A Time In Karachi will be the fourth feature film he has announced within a span of two years, making him amongst the busiest directors in tinsel town. 

Previously, the director was in the spotlight courtesy his upcoming production titled Half Fry, for managing to cast the hottest couple in town, i.e. Iqra Aziz & Yasir Hussain. While that film remains in post-production and not much is known about its release prospects, Abu Aleeha has gone ahead and announced his fourth film, which along with Mohsin Abbas Haider would also star Nausheen Shah. The duo has already shared screen space in television play Deewar-e-Shab where Mohsin had a brief cameo.

Coming back to OATIK, it has been scripted by the acclaimed writer Ali Moeen, and reports suggest that it will be a gritty social drama, with plenty by way of the entertainment quotient. While the jury is still out on how the project pans out, one can be certain that the film will benefit from Mohsin’s gritty and street-savvy screen presence and this time around, the actor just might surprise us with some action sequences. The rest of the cast is said to include Marhoom Ahmed Bilal, Masroor Paras, and Saleem Meraj.

We can’t wait to update you on the fifth project this film’s director will announce! For that and much more, stay tuned to Galaxy Lollywood!