Actor in Law

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.[2][3] by Urdu 1 Pictures. The film stars Fahad Mustafa and Mehwish Hayat in lead roles.[4] 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.[5]

Actor in Law
Theatrical release Poster
Urduایکٹر ان لاء
Directed byNabeel Qureshi
Produced byFizza Ali Meerza
Mehdi Ali
Written byFizza Ali Meerza
Nabeel Qureshi
Starring
Music byShani Arshad
CinematographyRana Kamran
Edited byAsif Mumtaz
Production
company
Filmwala Pictures
Distributed byUrdu 1 Pictures
Release date
  • 8 September 2016 (2016-09-08) (Dubai)
  • 13 September 2016 (2016-09-13) (Pakistan)
Running time
1 hr 56 min
CountryPakistan
LanguageUrdu
Budget₨100 million
Box office₨300 million[1]

Plot

Fahad Mustafa stars as an up-and-coming lawyer who employs theatrics and over-the-top one-liners in the courtroom. He aspires to become an actor, something which is met with disapproval from his father. His world is turned upside down when he is faced with a case that shakes the foundation of the country and threatens his career and family. Will he be able to use his theatricality and knowledge of the law to ensure justice?

The film also fictionally portraits the celebrities in Pakistan such as Ayyan who was recently arrested in a very publicized money laundering scandal, and Mubashir Lucman, a famous news anchor.

Cast

Special appearance

Development and production

The film is directed by Nabeel Qureshi and produced by Fizza Ali Meerza and Mehdi Ali, making it their second project after Na Maloom Afraad. The details about the film were unveiled by Nabeel Qureshi and Fizza Ali Meerza at a press conference in Karachi on 9 January 2016. The press conference was also attended by Fahad Mustafa, Mehwish Hayat, Alyy Khan and Indian veteran actor Om Puri, who made his Lollywood debut.[6][7][4] The producer Fizza also revealed that the film stars Fahad Mustafa and Mehwish Hayat in lead roles.[4] The cast also includes Alyy Khan, Saife Hassan, Saleem Mairaj, Saboor Ali, Anoushay Abbasi and Ahson Talish in important roles. Humayun Saeed, Mahira Khan, Nayyar Ejaz, Talat Hussain, Rehan Sheikh, and Rashid Khawaja all made special appearance in the film.[8] Om Puri told that he signed the film because the script is different and unique. He also told the title Actor in Law is suggested by him. "I didn't know this team personally when I was approached for the film. But I was aware of the fact that Pakistani films have improved a lot." said Puri.[9] The director Nabeel Qureshi said that this film is a different story just like Na Maloom Afraad. "Rather than telling jokes, I enjoy telling stories. And audiences can expect the same with Actor in Law as well since it has a very unique story," said Qureshi.[10] Cinematography was done by Rana Kamran. It was distributed locally and internationally by Urdu 1 Pictures. It was the first film distribution by Urdu 1. The film was released on the occasion of Eid al-Adha in mid 2016.[11]

Production

Filming

The first spell of film was shot in Karachi.[12]

Marketing

Title poster of film was released in February 2016 while the first look poster was revealed on 24 June 2016 via social media.[13][14] Director claimed that, Indian actor Om Puri will also come to Pakistan for the promotional purpose of his debut Pakistani film.[15] On 28 June 2016, the trailer launch event was held in PC Hotel, Karachi where character posters were also unveiled. According to the Pakistani box office reports, the lollywood movie Actor in Law collected over 100 million in just 5 days in Pakistan which is the second best performance by a Pakistani movie after Jawani Phir Nahi Ani.[16]

Soundtrack
Actor in Law
Soundtrack album by
Shani Arshad
Released1 August 2016[17]
Recorded2016
GenreFilmi Soundtrack
Length17:00[18]
LanguageUrdu
ProducerFizza Ali Meerza[12]
Shani Arshad chronology
Jawani Phir Nahi Ani
(2015)		 Actor in Law
(2016)		 Na Maloom Afraad 2
(2017)
Singles from Actor in Law
  1. "Dil Dancer"
    Released: 28 August 2016[19]

All music is composed by Shani Arshad.

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Khudaya"Mohsin Abbas HaiderRahat Fateh Ali Khan3:58
2."Funkaraan"Nadeem AsadAsrar3:00
3."Dil Dancer"Shani Arshad, Nabeel Qureshi, Fizza Ali MeerzaAtif Aslam3:44
4."Actor in Law"Nabeel Qureshi, Fizza Ali MeerzaShani Arshad3:09
5."Actor in Law" (Reprise)Nabeel Qureshi, Fizza Ali MeerzaJunaid Younis3:09
Total length:17:00

Release

Actor in Law released in UAE, UK, and Middle East on 8 September 2016.[20][21] The film was released nationwide on 13 September (Eid al-Adha) alongside Azfar Jafi's romantic comedy Janaan and Anjum Shahzad's romantic drama Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hay.

Home Media

Actor in law was made available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Reception

Box office

Actor in Law opened to full houses on 13 September 2016. The film managed to exceed expectations and mint ₨16 million on its first day. Numbers continued to grow on 14 September and the film minted ₨23.5 million on its second day.[22] Film managed to register mark of ₨57.4 million at the end of its first weekend.[23] On 16 September 2016, Urdu 1 pictures announced that the film had collected a total of ₨60 million over the 3-day Eid Holiday.[24] By 18 September 2016, the film had grossed ₨100 million , domestically.[25] On 25 September 2016, Urdu 1 Pictures announced the film had grossed ₨180 million worldwide.

On 4 October 2016, it was announced that the film had grossed ₨240 million in Pakistan and Rs 60 million in overseas.[1]

Critical response

The film received mainly positive reviews upon its release with many reviewers praising the blend of social commentary and comedy. Praise was also directed at the performances of Fahad Mustafa and Om Puri.

Dawn's Salima Feerasta rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, commenting that the film "makes a strong case for Fahad Mustafa's ascent as cinema's golden boy".[26] Omair Alavi, writing for The News, commended the film for tackling social issues and praised the performances of Fahad Mustafa, Mehwish Hayat and Om Puri.[27] Rafay Mahmood of Express Tribune gave the film 3/5 stars. He felt the film delivered on several accounts but "[didn't] work on as many layers as NMA and [did] not have the same shock value".[28] Sami Saayer, also writing for Express Tribune, was more encouraging of the film, comparing it to "Manmohan Desai's brand of Cinema".[29]

Shahjehan Saleem, writing for HiP, gave the film 4.5/5 and wrote, "Whether it is the language, which borders close to the Karachiwala slang, or the rustic urban sprawl of Karachi, where it's based, the film screams life in a metropolis."[30]

Hamza Shafique of Dubai Desi Reviews commented, "Playable Music, believable acting, laugh out loud comedy and stirring messages makes 'Actor in Law' a must go this Eid. I left cinema entertained , I go with 3 desi stars."[31]

Accolades
Ceremony Won Nominated
16th Lux Style Awards
International Pakistan Prestige Awards 2017[32][33]
  • Fahad Mustafa – Best Actor
  • Mehwish Hayat – Best Actress
  • Om Puri – Best Supporting Actor
  • Fizza Ali Meerza – Best Film
  • Nabeel Qureshi – Best Director
Pakistan International Film Festival[34]
  • Fahad Mustafa – Best Actor (Male)
  • Mehwish Hayat – Best Actor (Female)

See also

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "'Actor in Law' is a romantic comedy that highlights social issues". hip. Wajiha Jawaid. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  3. "Om Puri's first Pakistani film to release on Eidul Azha". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  4. "A first: Veteran actor Om Puri to star in two Pakistani films". Hindustan Times. 10 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  5. Imdad, Fareeha (20 April 2017). "Lux Style Awards 2017 Winners, Highlights". FHM (Pakistan). Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  6. Buraq Shabbir. "Om Puri in Town For Actor in Law". The News International. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  7. "Om Puri to star in Pakistani flick titled 'Actor-In-Law'". ARY News. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  8. "Om Puri set to star in Na Maloom Afraad duo's next film". DAWN Images. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  9. "Actor in Law: Om Puri explains all about his Pakistani film". Catch News. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  10. "Om Puri's first Pakistani film to release on Eidul Azha". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  11. "Urdu 1 ventures into film distribution with 'Actor in Law'". hip. Wajiha Jawaid. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  12. "From the makers of 'Na Maloom Afraad' comes 'Actor in Law'". The Express Tribune. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  13. "Unveiled: First poster of Om Puri's debut Pakistani film". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  14. "Actor in Law's first look leaves us with a lot of questions". DAWN Images. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  15. "Om Puri will be in Pakistan for Actor-in-Law promotions, shares director Nabeel Qureshi". DAWN Images. Irfan ul Haq. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  16. Aijaz, Rahul (20 September 2016). "Box office: 'Actor in Law' leading, 'Janaan' and 'Maalik' catching up". Express Tribune. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  17. "'Actor in law' soundtrack launched by Atif Aslam". The Express Tribune. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  18. Actor in Law on SoundCloud by Filmwala Pictures.
  19. Atif Aslam (28 August 2016). "DIL YEH DANCER". Retrieved 15 August 2017 – via YouTube.
  20. "Om Puri's 'Actor in Law' out this weekend". Gulf News. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  21. "Om Puri wants to bridge the gap between India and Pakistan". Khaleej Times. Arti Dani. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  22. "Actor in Law Two Days Revised Numbers Pakistan :: Good". Boxofficedetail.com. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  23. "Actor in Law Eid Weekend Business Pakistan :: Biggest Of 2016". BOD. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  24. "Actor-in-Law rules box office with Rs 60 million business". Nation.com.pk. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  25. "Actor in Law – The Film – Timeline". Facebook. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  26. "Review: Actor in Law makes a strong case for Fahad Mustafa's ascent as cinema's golden boy". Images.dawn.com. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  27. Alavi, Omair. "A social drama for the ages". Thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  28. Mahmood, Rafay. "Review: Actor in flaw?". Tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  29. Saayer, Sami (15 September 2016). "Actor in Law: Manmohan Desai's brand of cinema". Blogs.tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  30. "In Focus: Actor in Law is an intelligent comedy for the masses". hip. Shahjehan Saleem. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  31. "Actor in law – Movie Review". Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  32. "International Pakistan Prestige Awards Nominations Revealed!". Brandsynario. 11 September 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  33. Alefyah Hasnain (18 September 2017). "Actor in Law Steals the Limelight at IPPA Awards 2017". Brandsynario. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  34. "PIFF concludes with a star-studded awards night". Pakistan Today. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
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