Lollywood refers to the Pakistani Urdu and Punjabi-language film industry based in Lahore. Since the partition of India in 1947, Lahore has been the center of Pakistani cinema, with films being produced both in Urdu and Punjabi. The word "Lollywood" is a portmanteau of "Lahore" and "Hollywood", coined in 1989 by Glamour magazine gossip columnist Saleem Nasir, and is usually used comparatively with respect to other industries in South Asian cinema.
Irtiza Rubab, better known by her stage name Meera, is a Pakistani film actress and television presenter. She has appeared in Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi movies.
Noor Bukhari is a Pakistani former actress, director, model and television host. She featured in several TV shows, films and commercials. During her film career, she appeared in 44 Urdu Films and 20 Punjabi Films.
Ghulam Mohiuddin ; also spelled Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din) is a Pakistani actor of Urdu and Punjabi films. Ghulam Mohiuddin popularly known as Gullo Bhai in the Pakistan film Industry.
Aina, also known as The Mirror, is a 1977 Pakistani romantic drama film directed by Nazar-ul-Islam and starring Nadeem and Shabnam. Singers are Mehdi Hassan, Mehnaz, Nayyara Noor and Alamgir. The film was a major box-office success and was the longest-running Pakistani film at the cinemas. The movie is based on the 1973 Hindi movie Aa Gale Lag Jaa and went on to be remade in Hindi in 1985 as Pyar Jhukta Nahin.
Syed Noor is a Pakistani film director based in Lahore. In 1970 Syed Noor joined the Pakistani film industry as an assistant to director S. Suleman. Noor assisted S. Suleman for 18 feature films, after which, he penned his first script for the film, "Society Girl" in 1976, which was considered the best film of the year. After the success of his first film, Noor became the prime screenwriting talent in the Pakistani film industry and worked with all the prominent directors of the time.
The cinema of Pakistan, or Pakistani cinema, refers to the filmmaking industry in Pakistan. Pakistan is home to several film studios centres, primarily located in its two largest cities - Karachi and Lahore. Pakistani cinema has played an important part in Pakistani culture and in recent years has begun flourishing again after years of decline, delivering entertainment to audiences in Pakistan and expatriates abroad. Several film industries are based in Pakistan, which tend to be regional and niche in nature. Over 10,000 Urdu feature films have been produced in Pakistan since 1948, as well as over 8000 Punjabi, 6000 Pashto and 2000 Sindhi feature-length films. The first film ever produced was Husn Ka Daku in 1930, directed by Abdur Rashid Kardar in Lahore. The first Pakistani-film produced was Teri Yaad, directed by Daud Chand in 1948. Between 1947 and 2007, Pakistani cinema was predominately based in Lahore, home to the nation's largest film industry. Pakistani films during this period attracted large audiences and had a strong cult following, was part of the cultural mainstream, widely available and imitated by the masses. During the early 1970s, Pakistan was the world's fourth largest producer of feature films. However, between 1977 and 2007, the film industry of Pakistan went into decline due to Marshal law, strengthening of censorship laws and an overall lack of quality. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the film industry went through several periods of ups and downs, a reflection of its dependency on state funding and incentives. By 2000, the film industry in Lahore had collapsed and saw a gradual shift of Pakistani actors, actresses, producers and filmmakers from Lahore to Karachi. By 2007, the wounds of Pakistan's collapsed film industry began to heal and Karachi had cemented itself as the center of Pakistani cinema. This was the time new generation producers stepped into the industry with short films with quality story line and new technology led to an explosion of alternative form of Pakistani cinema. The shift has been seen by many as the leading cause for the "resurgence of Pakistani cinema". Despite the industry crisis starting in the mid-1980s, Pakistani films have retained much of their distinctive identity. Since the shift to Karachi, Pakistani films have once again began attracting a strong cult following.
Saima Noor is a Pakistani actress who appears in Pakistani films and television dramas. She rose to prominence after starring in the film Choorian (1998), which is regarded as one of the highest-grossing Pakistani films of all time. Some of her other notable film credits include Buddha Gujjar (2002), Majajan (2006) and Bhai Log (2011), all of which were commercial successes. She was one of country's leading film actresses during the 1990s and early 2000s.
Insaniyat (transl. humanity) is a 1967 Pakistani Urdu language black-and-white film produced by A. Hameed, directed by Shabab Kiranvi who also wrote the screenplay. The film starred Waheed Murad, Zeba, Tariq Aziz, Firdous and Nanna. The film revolves around a doctor, who has to operate the husband of his ex beloved.
Shamoon Abbasi is an Italian-born former actor, director and screenwriter, better known for portraying villain roles. Abbasi has won the Bronze award for "Best Telefilm" at the 2011 Hum TV Telefilm Festival Awards, in recognition of Daag Hai Mere Naam Pe.
Waar is a 2013 Pakistani action-thriller film directed by Bilal Lashari, written and produced by Hassan Rana. The film was facilitated by Brig.Syed Mujtaba Tirmizi from Inter-Services Public Relations. The film features Shaan Shahid, Meesha Shafi, Ali Azmat, Shamoon Abbasi, Ayesha Khan, Suhaib Rana and Kamran Lashari. It is the sixth highest-grossing Pakistani film. It is a stylized depiction of events surrounding Pakistan's efforts to conduct a war on terror on state-sponsored terror groups, which resulted in warfare among tribal units in North-West Pakistan. One incident included a terrorist attack on a Police Academy at Lahore in 2009.
Love Mein Ghum is a 2011 Pakistani Urdu language romance/musical film, directed and produced by Reema Khan. It stars Moammar Rana, Khan herself, Nabeel Khan and Araida.
Jugni (2011) is a Pakistani Punjabi film, first named Jugni Nachdi Aye, later changed to name Jugni, is directed by Syed Noor. The film brought folk singer Arif Lohar back on the silver screen after eleven years. It also stars Saima, Shaan Shahid and Moammar Rana.
Karachi Se Lahore is a 2015 Pakistani road-comedy adventure film directed and produced by Wajahat Rauf under production banner Showcase Productions. The film's story is written by Yasir Hussain Karachi Se Lahore features an ensemble cast, including Javed Sheikh, Mantaha Tareen Maqsood, Yasir Hussain, Ahmed Ali Akbar, Eshita Syed, Aashir Wajahat and Rasheed Naz, whereas lead roles are played by Shehzad Sheikh and Ayesha Omer. This is the first Pakistani road-trip film which covers the 36 hours journey from Karachi to Lahore in real time, where the characters face obstacles, overcome them and undergo personal growth.
Yeh Adam is a 1986 Pakistani-Punjabi action-political film directed by Irshad Sajid written by Nasir Adeeb and produced by Bashir Ahmad Butt.
Kalay Chor is a 1991 Pakistani action film, directed by Nazar-ul-Islam and produced by Habib Jalib. Editor: Mohammed Ashiq Ali The film stars actors Neeli, Sultan Rahi, Javed Sheikh, Ghulam Mohiuddin and Humayun Qureshi.
Lahore Se Aagey is a 2016 Pakistani road-comedy romantic film directed by Wajahat Rauf, written by Yasir Hussain and Produced by Wajahat Rauf, Asfand Faruok, Salman Iqbal, and Jarjees Seja. The film is a spin-off to 2015 comedy film Karachi Se Lahore and second installment in Karachi Lahore film series. It features an all star cast, including Hussain along with Saba Qamar, Behroze Sabzwari, Abdullah Farhatullah, Mubashir Malik, Atiqa Odho, Rubina Ashraf and Noor ul Hasan. The film was released worldwide on 11 November 2016 under the production banner of Showcase Films. Upon release, it received criticism from critics and became a moderate box office success.
Actor in Law is a 2016 Pakistani socio-comedy film directed by Nabeel Qureshi, co-written and produced by Fizza Ali Meerza along with Mehdi Ali. The film was released on Eid-ul-Adha 2016. by Urdu 1 Pictures. The film stars Fahad Mustafa and Mehwish Hayat in lead roles. It also stars veteran Indian actor Om Puri in his first Pakistani film, who died on 6 January 2017 suffering Cardiac arrest. On 19 April 2017, it received the Best Film award at the 16th Lux Style Awards.
Saima Noor is a Pakistani actress who has appeared in Punjabi and Urdu films and Pakistani dramas. After making her film debut with Griban in 1987, she appeared in a wide range of successful Punjabi films, mostly in which she was starred opposite action hero Sultan Rahi. She rose to prominence when director Syed Noor introduced her in Urdu feature films, and became one of the leading and highest-paid actresses of Pakistani cinema after starring in the mainstream Punjabi-language film Choorian, which ranks among the highest grossing Pakistani films of all time. Choorian also holds the record to be one of the longest running Pakistani films showcased at a single screen cinema where it ran for five years. In the same year, Saima agreed to work in female centric action film Daku Rani which opened to mixed reviews. In 2000, she acted in the successful horror film Billi, also directed by Noor. Saima was praised for playing double roles of a fearless girl and her mother in adventure film Jungle Queen. After many successful films, her career was disturbed after the decline of Lollywood in early 2000s. However, she shot to fame again due to her performance in blockbuster film Majajan and reprise the same character in the film's sequel Zill-e-Shah. Her film Majajan ran for five years in cinemas. During the shooting of Majajan, director Syed Noor married her but kept it a secret until Saima publicly revealed in a 2007's press conference that the couple married in 2005. In 2012, she starred in another film with Noor, titled Shareeka which generated negative reviews and turned out to be a disaster.
Salute is a 2016 Pakistani biographical film directed, written & produced by Shahzad Rafique. The film is based on the life of martyr Aitzaz Hasan who confronted a suicide bomber, preventing his attempt to detonate a bomb in his school, saving roughly 2000 lives. The film stars Ali Mohtesham, Ajab Gul and Saima Noor in leading roles.
