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Actor in Law
Theatrical release Poster
Urdu	ایکٹر ان لاء
Directed by	Nabeel Qureshi
Written by	Fizza Ali Meerza Nabeel Qureshi
Produced by	Fizza Ali Meerza Mehdi Ali
Starring	Fahad Mustafa Mehwish Hayat Om Puri Alyy Khan
Cinematography	Rana Kamran
Edited by	Asif Mumtaz
Music by	Shani Arshad
Production company	Filmwala Pictures
Distributed by	Urdu1 Pictures Overseas Fox Star Studios
Release dates	8 September 2016 (2016-09-08) (Dubai) 13 September 2016 (2016-09-13) (Pakistan)
Running time	1 h 56 min
Country	Pakistan
Language	Urdu
Box office	Rs. 300 million (US$1.0 million)

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. The cast also includes veteran Indian actor Om Puri in his first Pakistani film. On 19 April 2017, the movie received the Best Film award at the 16th Lux Style Awards.

Plot

Fahad Mustafa stars as an upcoming 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 and news anchor Mubashir Lucman.

Cast

• Fahad Mustafa as Shan Mirza
• Ayaz Syed Makeup Artist Of Fahad Mustafa
• Om Puri as Rafaqat Mirza
• Mehwish Hayat as Meenu Screwala
• Lubna Aslam as Shan's mother
• Saboor Ali as Annie Mirza
• Alyy Khan as Muddasir Sultan
• Irfan Motiwala as Fridge Man
• Saife Hassan as Guddu Mamu
• Saleem Mairaj as Mehboob Bhai
• Anoushay Abbasi as Meenu's Friend
• Kaizer Behram Irani as Meenu's Mother
• Noor ul Hassan
• Ahson Talish as a Politician

Special appearance

• Humayun Saeed as himself
• Mahira Khan as herself
• Nayyar Ejaz as a Lawyer
• Rehan Sheikh as a Lawyer
• Talat Hussain as a Judge
• Atif Aslam as himself in music video "Dil Yeh Dancer Hogaya"
• Nabeel Qureshi as himself in title song "Actor in Law"
• Ali Zafar as himself on Billboard
• Imran Abbas as himself on billboard
• Ayeza Khan as herself on billboard
• Annas Kashif as himself

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. The producer Fizza also revealed that the film stars Fahad Mustafa and Mehwish Hayat in lead roles. 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. 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. 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 audience can expect the same with Actor in Law as well since it has a very unique story," said Qureshi. 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.

Production

Filming

The first spell of the film was shot in Karachi.

Marketing

Title poster of film was released in February 2016 while the first look poster was revealed on 24 June 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. 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.

Soundtrack

All music is composed by Shani Arshad

Release

Actor in Law released in UAE, UK, and Middle East on 8 September 2015. 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.

Broadcast Rights

The broadcast rights of the movie were syndicated Urdu1 & Star Gold Middle East.

Home Video

The movie has been made streaming available 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 Rs. 16 million on its first day. Numbers continued to grow on 14 September and the film minted Rs. 23.5 million on its second day. Film managed to register mark of Rs. 57.4 million at the end of its first weekend. On 16 September 2016, Urdu 1 pictures announced that the film had collected a total of Rs. 60 million over the 3-day Eid Holiday. By 18 September 2016, the film had grossed Rs. 100 million, domestically. On 25 September 2016, Urdu 1 Pictures announced the film had grossed Rs. 180 million worldwide.

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

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 " work on as many layers as NMA and 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 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."

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."

Accolades

See also

• List of Pakistani films of 2016

References

1. "'Actor in Law' is a romantic comedy that highlights social issues". hip. Wajiha Jawaid. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
2. "Om Puri's first Pakistani film to release on Eidul Azha". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
3. ^ "A first: Veteran actor Om Puri to star in two Pakistani films". Hindustan Times. 10 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
4. 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.
5. Buraq Shabbir. "Om Puri in Town For Actor in Law". The News International. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
6. "Om Puri to star in Pakistani flick titled 'Actor-In-Law'". ARY News. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
7. "Om Puri set to star in Na Maloom Afraad duo's next film". DAWN Images. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
8. "Actor in Law: Om Puri explains all about his Pakistani film". Catch News. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
9. "Om Puri's first Pakistani film to release on Eidul Azha". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
10. "Urdu 1 ventures into film distribution with 'Actor in Law'". hip. Wajiha Jawaid. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
11. ^ "From the makers of 'Na Maloom Afraad' comes 'Actor in Law'". The Express Tribune. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
12. "Unveiled: First poster of Om Puri's debut Pakistani film". The Express Tribune. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
13. "Actor in Law's first look leaves us with a lot of questions". DAWN Images. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
14. "Om Puri will be in Pakistan for Actor-in-Law promotions, shares director Nabeel Qureshi". DAWN Images. Irfan ul Haq. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
15. Aijaz, Rahul (20 September 2016). "Box office: 'Actor in Law' leading, 'Janaan' and 'Maalik' catching up". Express Tribune. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
16. "'Actor in law' soundtrack launched by Atif Aslam". The Express Tribune. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
17. Actor in Law on SoundCloud by Filmwala Pictures.
18. Atif Aslam (28 August 2016). "DIL YEH DANCER". Retrieved 15 August 2017 – via YouTube.
19. "Om Puri's 'Actor in Law' out this weekend". Gulf News. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
20. "Om Puri wants to bridge the gap between India and Pakistan". Khaleej Times. Arti Dani. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
21. "Actor-in-Law rules box office with Rs 60 million business". Nation.com.pk. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
22. "Actor in Law – The Film – Timeline". Facebook. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
23. "Review: Actor in Law makes a strong case for Fahad Mustafa's ascent as cinema's golden boy". Images.dawn.com. 13 September 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
24. Alavi, Omair. "A social drama for the ages". Thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
25. Mahmood, Rafay (12 September 2016). "Review: Actor in flaw?". Tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
26. Saayer, Sami (15 September 2016). "Actor in Law: Manmohan Desai's brand of cinema". Blogs.tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
27. "In Focus: Actor in Law is an intelligent comedy for the masses". hip. Shahjehan Saleem. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
28. "Actor in law – Movie Review". 10 September 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
29. "International Pakistan Prestige Awards Nominations Revealed!". Brandsynario. 11 September 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
30. Alefyah Hasnain (18 September 2017). "Actor in Law Steals the Limelight at IPPA Awards 2017". Brandsynario. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
31. "PIFF concludes with a star-studded awards night". Pakistan Today. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.

External links

• Actor in Law at IMDb

• 2016 films
• Courtroom films
• Pakistani comedy-drama films
• 2010s Urdu-language films
• Pakistani legal films
• 2016 comedy-drama films
• Lollywood films
• Fox Star Studios films
• Urdu-language Pakistani films
• Urdu films remade in other languages