Ever since its announcement several years back, The Legend Of Maula Jatt has been arguably the most anticipated film in the history of Pakistani cinema, ever. Incidentally, the film has also remained stymied in a prolonged production process and courtroom drama that has seen more than its fair share of ups and downs.

As things stand today, the film has apparently cleared the legal challenges that have been delaying its release for at least a year. Sarwar Bhatti, producer of the original Maula Jatt, who had taken the makers of TLMJ to court over alleged copyright infringement, it seems has finally relented and agreed to withdraw cases against the film, in a public announcement. Reports have also been circulating that the film is all set to hit theaters on Eid-ul-Fitr.

So, what’s next?

However, is there more to the story than meets the eye? Ammara Hikmat and Bilal Lashari, the team behind TLMJ have yet to make any official statement about release plans, although Hikmat said this to Galaxy Lollywood earlier: “With the intervention of few elders, Mr. Bhatti resolved his differences with us and extended his support in the larger interest of the film industry, and we are grateful to them.”

Beyond the public statements, not much is known regarding the extent to which the legal procedures have been followed through. Given the legal limbo that the film had been stuck in, one would expect the filmmakers to come up with some official statement by now regarding their intended plans for the theatrical release. However, that has not happened so far.

Cases withdrawn?

And then there’s the question of Sarwar Bhatti of Bahoo Films, which launched and now have apparently withdrawn the legal challenge against the film for alleged copyright infringement. When Bhatti’s son Mohammad Bahoo Sarwar was asked in a public Facebook group to confirm the development of Bahoo Films taking back their legal cases, he cryptically responded, saying “Time will tell.”

Later when Galaxy Lollywood reached out to Mohammad Bahoo regarding the comment, he said it should be treated as an “ignored comment.” This seemed somewhat baffling since Mohammad Bahoo is very much involved in an official capacity with Bahoo Films, and any comment he makes following the recent turn of events would likely be treated seriously – something he was likely aware of.

Preparing to re-launch

If the film manages to secure a nationwide theatrical release date, the next hurdle would be to reignite the publicity for the film. The film’s first look promo released in December 2018, and after its release was postponed last year on Eid-ul-Fitr and then Eid-ul-Azha, the buzz for the film has gone down substantially from the peak it was it during last year’s first quarter. Historically speaking, postponed projects tend to receive a drubbing at the ticket counters, however here the cause of the delay has legitimately been beyond the power of its makers, and the film is not looking dated either. Most of all, Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, and Hamza Ali Abbasi are still very much considered stars, therefore it should not be too problematic to jumpstart the marketing campaign.

Having said that, a week has almost past and there’s little by way of a new intriguing teaser, or anything that would suggest that the film is ready to re-launch. Since a huge amount of time has already passed since the film’s last promo, it’s high time a campaign to re-energize its publicity was launched. It is another question altogether of course, that how the audience will respond this time around, therefore the marketing team might have to be more pro-active and creative.

Eid, again?

Much has been said about the film hitting the theater screens on Eid-ul-Fitr, and last year quite a few prominent filmmakers were furious when reports emerged that TLMJ would be releasing on Eid-ul-Azha. Will that be the case this year too? Already, at least three major films, including one starring Fawad himself (Money Back Guarantee) are set to hit theaters on Eid-ul-Fitr. Makers of these films are aware of TLMJ’s potential Eid release, however since no official release date has been announced for the film, it is still somewhat early to talk about a clash.

A similar scenario was witnessed last year too when it was more certain that the film would be coming on one of the two Eids. As was the case then, most filmmakers we reached out to now opined that it would be better for the film to go for a release date where there’s little competition to ensure maximum screen penetration. On the other hand, if Ammara Hikmat and Bilal Lashari do decide to go ahead with an Eid-ul-Fitr release, it is anyone’s guess how that would pan out, however, it is quite likely that TLMJ would have to contend with 2 other Pakistani films during that release slot.

We would be eagerly looking out for any official word from the filmmakers regarding the release plans for the much-awaited project. Till that happens, stay tuned to Galaxy Lollywood to follow the latest developments on this film. Also, let us know in the comments below – would you like the film on Eid?