Na Maloom Afraad no more on the loose

How Nabeel Qureshi’s debut film turned into a smashing hit and why it bodes well for the local film industry

KARACHI:

As Na Maloom Afraad’s glorious run at the box-office draws to a close after nearly eight months, it sets a new precedent for comedy films. Not many would’ve expected the movie, released last year on Eidul Azha, to come out on top, especially amid stiff competition from Hrithik Roshan-starrer Bang Bang and Pakistani spy-thriller Operation 021. The Express Tribune explores the movie’s smashing box-office stint and why it bodes well for the local film industry.

Vice-president of Eveready Pictures Zain Wali revealed NMA grossed more than Rs140 million by the end of its more than 25-week-long run, adding it has been around three weeks since the film was taken off from cinema screens. “NMA was among the first box-office hits in Pakistani cinemas. After Khuda Kay Liye and Bol, there was a long gap before the release of the next major commercial film, Waar,” he said. “Following that, NMA proved to be a big hit among audiences,” he added.



Although Waar was a bigger success than NMA in terms of box-office collection, Wali holds the latter has played a major role in paving the way for the new wave of Pakistani cinema and filmmakers. “After the success of NMA, there are close to 40 Pakistani films in the pipeline for cinema-owners.” He stated that, unlike Waar, the movie had to fend off competition from Bollywood super-hit Bang Bang and one of the most highly-anticipated films Pakistani cinema, Operation 021.



Initially released on approximately 78 screens, the movie’s success was supplemented by its run on single-screen cinemas with 35-mm prints being distributed to them. Nadeem Mandviwalla, managing director of Mandviwalla Entertainment, shared the film’s performance was encouraging for local cinema-owners. Mandviwalla, who owns Atrium Cinemas in Karachi and Centaurus Cineplex in Islamabad, noted, “If a Pakistani movie does well, then it gives a cinema-owner more confidence to screen a Pakistani film instead of an Indian one.”

Commenting on the film’s performance before it was taken off, Mandviwalla said it had an average run and, with an increasing number of movies set to be released in the next few weeks, it was only a matter of time before they pulled the plug. “The shows for NMA weren’t doing so bad … had the film continued to have a high turnout, we would’ve definitely held onto it. [We also took it off] because more films will be released during the summer,” he said.



At Atrium Cinemas alone, NMA exceeded Rs15 million just a month into its release, grossing Rs26.5 million over its complete run. The film was also a raving success in single-screens. Farrah Rauf, director of Capri Cinema, said the movie received an “overwhelming response,” sharing that it was screened for around four weeks in their cinema alone. “Usually, films don’t run in our cinema for four weeks. Even good films run for around two weeks at most but, due to the success of the film, we had to screen it for this long,” she noted.

Co-produced, co-written and directed by Nabeel Qureshi, NMA features an ensemble cast, including Javed Sheikh, Fahad Mustafa, Mohsin Abbas Haider, Mehwish Hayat and Urwa Hocane. The film was released on May 22 in select cinemas in the United Kingdom.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31^st, 2015.

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