Actor In Law

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 (model) 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 and produced by Nabeel Qureshi and Fizza Ali Meerza and is 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 Om Puri. The producer Fizza revealed that the film stars Fahad Mustafa and Mehwish Hayat. Indian actor Om Puri will make his Lollywood debut in the film. The cast also includes Talat Hussain, Alyy Khan, Rehan Sheikh, Saife Hassan and Rashid Khawaja. Indian actor 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 Om Puri. 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. The film is cinematographed by Rana Kamran. It will be distributed locally and internationally by Urdu 1. It will be the first film distribution by Urdu 1. The film is scheduled for release on Eid al-Adha in mid 2016.

Filming

The first spell of film was shot in Karachi.

Marketing

Title poster of film was released in February 2016 while the first look poster was revealed on June 24, 2016 via social media. Director claimed that, Indian actor Om Puri will also come to Pakistan for the promotional purpose of his debut Pakistani film. Trailer launch event was held on June 28, 2016 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 10 crores in just 5 days in Pakistan which is the second best performance by a Pakistani movie after Jawani Phir nai Aani.

Soundtrack

All music composed by Shani Arshad.

Release

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

Box office

Actor in Law opened to full houses on 13 September 2016. The film managed to exceed expectations and mint ₨16.0 million (US$150,000) on its first day. Numbers continued to grow on 14 September and the film minted ₨23.5 million (US$220,000) on its second day. Film managed to register mark of ₨57.4 million (US$550,000) at the end of its first weekend. On 16 September 2016, Urdu 1 pictures announced that the film had collected a total of ₨60.0 million (US$570,000) over the 3-day Eid Holiday. By 18 September 2016, the film had grossed ₨100.0 million (US$950,000), domestically. On 25 September 2016, Urdu 1 Pictures announced the film had grossed ₨180.0 million (US$1.7 million) worldwide.

On 4 October 2016, it was announced that the film had grossed ₨250.0 million (US$2.4 million) worldwide.

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". 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. 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". Sami Saayer, also writing for Express Tribune, was more encouraging of the film, comparing it to "Manmohan Desai's brand of Cinema".

Shahjehan Salim, 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."