Old Mola Jat is no match for new one: Nasir Adeeb

‘The Legend of Moulajit’ has been released in theaters from October 13.

Of course, like in the past, this will also be a good movie. Moviegoers have been waiting for it for years. This film also has the honor of being the biggest budget film in the history of Pakistani cinema.

The film has been developed in terms of today’s times.

Great cinematography and use of modern technology has made the movie the best Pakistani movie with big names but today we will talk about the old and original movie Maula Jat and try to know what was special about this movie that Today, even after 43 years, it is still fresh in people’s minds, but its characters are also known to today’s generation.

Fawad Khan appeared in the lead role of Maula Jat in the film (Publicity Poster).

Nasir Adeeb, author of Maula Jat, says that basically the old Maula Jat has no competition with the new Maula Jat. Because the basic story of the new film is the same but the characters are of a new age and their thinking is also new, so their roles are presented in a new way and this is supported by the role of Noori Nath in the old Moula Jat. Mustafa Qureshi also does.

Interest in the new film was created by the promo itself, but an old poster created our interest in Moula Jatt.

The short story was kept by our teacher Rabab Hasan Sahiba by binding his mother’s old magazines and books of elders. When we came across them, we entrusted them with a few special copies of magazines like Leel and Nahar, Women World, Mirror edited by Zainab Al-Nisa Hameedullah and Outlook, Pakistan. come

These Pakistani magazines of the fifties and sixties have a history. While the articles are very interesting, the advertisements published in these magazines are also interesting and the eye immediately goes to them. The style of the ad, the writing and the images had its own harmony.

Among these old magazines, a weekly magazine was sacred. It was dated March 1, 1982. Turning the page and reaching the last page, there was an advertisement of Bahu Films Corporation, which had advertisements for four Punjabi films produced under Bahu Films, namely Maula Jat, Mirza Jat, Chan Wariyam and Haq Mehr.

This old advertisement poster piqued our interest in the old Moola Jatt.

Before learning about the story of Mola Jat, let’s have a look at some historical references.

Karachi’s ‘Jubilee’ Cinema was Pakistan’s first cinema, the construction of which was started on September 1947-48. Which has now ended and has become a market.

While the first film studio was Pancholi Studio in Lahore, whose owner was Seth Dil Sikh Pancholi. Which was inaugurated by Sir Ghazanfar Ali Khan. This studio produced the first film produced in Pakistan, ‘Teri Yaad’. Punjabi films were the first to be shown in local language cinemas.

After all, was this the old movie Molajt?

According to records, on February 9, 1979, the film Moula Jat hit the cinema halls. In Pakistan Chronicle, Aqeel Abbas Jafari writes that on February 2, 1979, actress Anjuman’s first film ‘Waade Ki Zanjeer’ was presented and on February 9, the film Maula Jat.

Sultan Rahi and Mustafa Qureshi became inseparable with this film. The film was produced by Sarwar Bhatti, directed by Younis Malik and writer Nasir Adib while the music was composed by master Inayat Hussain Bhatti.

While the story and dialogues have kept the film alive till date, the successive censor bans also brought it fame.

It is said to have been blocked by the censors three times. Even the filmmaker had to knock the court’s door several times.

Why was Jat banned?

Maula Jat writer Nasir Adib told us over the phone that while writing the story of the film, I had in mind the suffocating political atmosphere of the time and the battle between right and wrong. Political tension had paved the way for martial law. So I told my characters everything that is on people’s minds and tongues till today.

He remembers that then filmmaker Seth Salim Ashrafi, who had made several films with director Nazrul Islam, saw the censor print of the film. The film ended and before I asked, he put his hands on my knees and said that Nasir Sahib will get this film taken down by the police and later that is what happened.

It was taken down under MLO-81 after a full four-year run at the behest of General Ziaul Haq, saying that the film was promoting violence.

Mustafa Qureshi who was made Noori Nat by Maula Jat

Mustafa Qureshi says that he has seen the new movie. This movie is good and they are sure that it will do good business. But Hamari Maula Jat was a poor film. It was made in seven to eight lakhs and did a business of one crore. While the budget of the new film Dhaka is seven eight crores.

Mustafa Sahib said regarding Maula Jat that it became a memorable film because it was the voice of people’s hearts. In the era of pressure, the dialogues of this film touched people’s hearts. The film also gained fame for being banned and not getting a censor certificate. Then, when the court got a stay and the movie went to cinemas, it was a window-breaking week.’

“The success of this film was that when there was a news or an advertisement about our film, in which the name of Sultan Rahi and Mustafa Qureshi was present, the film would be sold all over Pakistan, that is, cinema houses would buy this film.” He told one more thing that in the film, Noori Nath and Mola Jat’s character goes back and forth together. While Noori Nath is a villain, this character is also shown helping Moolah Jat. That is, according to human instinct, evil is not always evil.’

Noori Nat (Mustafa Qureshi Facebook Official)

He recalled that Dharmendra met him in London. He had come there for shooting. He invited them for dinner and postponed his shooting for a day. And during the meal, he told Mustafa Qureshi that he made one Punjabi and two Hindi films after watching Maula Jat. This is the success of this film.

Mustafa Sahib also said that it was an honor given to Maula Jat that people used to recite his dialogues.

What is the audience who watched Mola Jat today?

Former cricketer Sikandar Bakht had seen the movie Maula Jat in Lahore. He recalled that he was on a cricket tour during those days. ‘I was in the UBL cricket team. Because Moula Jat was a famous movie, all the friends watched this movie together. I don’t remember the name of the cinema, but I just remember standing in front of the cinema and looking at the poster. It was the unanimous decision of all to see Mola Jat.’

‘We used to go to small and big cities of Punjab to play cricket. After the game, our entertainment was to watch movies. We usually take advice from Tange Wale which movie is popular to take us there. We used to like to go to the cinema and see the movie that had the best dances.’

I still remember many dialogues from this film. Especially Sultan Rahi Sahib, who was a very friendly and loving person. We played cricket together many times. I used to say teasingly when I saw them, ‘Nawan aya ain sohniya.’

Mustafa Sahib’s acting was very good. Especially that scene, when Sultan Rahi’s enemies were coming, they were getting angry and impaling him on a stick. Then they used to relieve thirty or forty men from this punk.’

He further said that one such Punjabi film was Basheera.

I still remember that and probably saw this film in Peshawar. One of the scenes from this movie ‘Door Se Sultan Rahi Ka Ko Ghode Aheke Lana’ was a hit on the big screen. My Punjabi is not that good but it used to be our pastime.’

This section contains related reference points (Related Nodes field).

Sharafat Sahib has been the technical in-charge of several cinemas in Karachi. He says that we watched the movie Maula Jat in Karachi’s Kaiser Cinema. ‘There was so much rush to understand that as much as there was a rush inside, there was a rush outside. Moula Jat Noori Nath had very good dialogues. Sarwar Bhatti, the filmmaker of Maula Jat used to sit with us in the society cinema. We watched this movie many times with him too.’

Moinuddin of Rawalpindi says that he saw this movie at PAF Cinema in Rawalpindi. The PAF was studying in college and must have been around 18-19.

We watched this movie with our classmates. It is also remembered that morning 9 to 12 was Shudhikha. All the actors delivered the dialogues with a thunderous voice. The excitement was generated by itself. But some of the dialogues were spoken so fast that I didn’t understand at all, even though it was Punjabi. At that time, this film was not particularly good.’

Shahid Mustafa of Karachi watched this film on the projector screen instead of on the screen. He says that during that time, it was customary to show films on projectors in the streets and enthusiasts paid money to watch the films. The dialogues of this film were spoken by friends. The movie was famous, maybe that’s why I watched this movie.

How is the promotion of Pakistani cinema possible?

Nasir Adeeb is also the author of the new film The Legend of Moolah Jat. He says that he has high hopes from this film. ‘Mola Jat To Khair had lasted for four and a half years. May Allah make this film last for four and a half years or ten years.’

‘In the 80s, Moula Jat gave income of crores of rupees to the government treasury and it is hoped that this Maula Jat will also pay hundreds of times more in taxes to the government coffers.’

He believes that the golden age of Pakistani cinema is connected with Punjabi film. Only when Punjabi cinema is established will films be made in Pakistan. Currently, only two or three Urdu films are made in a year. There is no continuity in Pakistani cinema. He believes that the government also has to help the film industry to take off. Because the film industry does not have capital. Subsidy has to be given.

Poster of a movie by Mustafa Qureshi (Facebook Official Mustafa Qureshi)

‘This industry cannot run without the government. At the same time, he said that cinema owners should also provide timely money to film producers. Because the full payment is made to the film team only when the film is released.’

They were angry with the owners that 50% of the profits are kept by the cinema owners. Think for yourself what we get. Mustafa Qureshi also emphasized like Nasir Adeeb that we and our film industry pay millions of rupees in taxes to the government but now our industry has become stagnant. We want to ask the government to give us tax exemptions to boost other weak industries so that this industry can once again flourish.