Thanks To Maula Jatt , Billion-Dollar Boom in Punjabi Cinema

In a competitive market, like the US, the film had a higher screen average of $12,687 from 89 screens than the global sensation RRR, which had a screen average of $10,833 from a 1200 screen release. The film had a screen average better than RRR in the UK, Canada, and the US.

The film is still playing in Pakistan for 25 weeks and has already grossed over five times the previous box office record of the country. On just a 500-screen worldwide release, ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ has grossed over $11 million USD and is to be released in newer territories including a 12,000+ screen release in China later this year.

However, its greater achievement is its viewership overseas. Besides the phenomenal performance in the UK, it also broke the previously held record of the most watched South Asian film, Bajrangi Bhaijan in Norway. It ranked number one on the UAE Box office on its opening weekend. In Australia and Canada, it opened at sixth position on the box office.

“The film was the highest grossing south Asian film in UK between 2018-2022”

This is particularly impressive when you consider that Punjabi films do not get a release as wide as Bollywood or South Indian movies. This is especially true in Hollywood’s home ground where world cinema battles to get theatrical screen time. The movie’s repeat value is evident from the fact that many of those who watched it once were so captivated by its storytelling that they returned to the cinemas to relive the experience multiple times.

The film is Punjabi cinema at its epic best. The action drama is a reboot and re-invention of a cult genre that defined Punjabi cinema for the two decades of 80’s and 90’s. The fertile terrain of Punjab, the land of five rivers has always been a breeding ground of folklore. As the stories passed through generations they were embellished and from them two characters of traditional rivalry were discovered by Punjabi Cinema which soon turned into a cult following. The characters and backdrop were picked up and turned into legendary figures, larger than life scenes and an ageless narrative to make it blockbuster material by the team of Maula Jatt. The story told is of a fierce prizefighter with a tormented past seeking revenge against the most feared warrior in medieval Punjab. The film features some of Pakistan's biggest actors, including Fawad Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Mahira Khan, and Humaima Malick. A visual feast with breathtaking cinematography, sets and a powerful sound design that incorporates traditional Punjabi folk music sets the movie apart from any past or present Punjabi cinematic experience ever seen on screen.

 What distinguishes this movie is its ability to draw a cult following. The movie has such magnetism that people traveled hours to watch it despite the limited number of screens it was released on. The merchandise of the film is selling like a Marvel movie product line in the diaspora audience. A replica of the ‘Gandasa’ weapon used in the movie was auctioned for $50,000 in Toronto last week.

 One must realise that Punjabi is the tenth most widely spoken language in the world, with 151 million conversant with the language all over the world. It is the third and fourth most widely spoken language in the UK and Canada, respectively. Punjabi is spoken by twice as many as Tamil and Telugu speaking people. Despite being widely understood by Hindi audiences, Punjabi cinema has never developed into a big industry, whereas the other two South Asian languages, Telugu and Tamil, rank as billion-dollar industries.

 This is odd considering Punjabi is the subcontinent's undisputed language of entertainment and Bollywood relies heavily on Punjabi music for its mass appeal. Although frequently found in snatches of conversations, jokes, and songs in Hindi cinema, Punjabi has struggled to transition from the domain of light-hearted humor to a big screen spectacle at par with global cinema. Nearly 65 percent of Punjabi films released worldwide, between 2010 and 2022 were low budget slapstick comedies or rom coms, stereotyping Punjabi cinema, stunting its growth, and limiting its potential.

 However, "The Legend of Maula Jatt" has broken convention with its appeal to a much wider demographic, reminding us that audiences crave stories that reflect their cultural heritage and experiences, while transcending both geographical and linguistic boundaries. Its success has sparked conversations about the potential of a billion-dollar Punjabi cinema industry, which has surprisingly not been taken seriously until now. It has nudged the film industry to take notice of this unexplored goldmine – the untapped potential of Punjab and the myriad opportunities it offers.

The film is a game changer that has reinvented the past, augmented the present, and unleashed the forces that will shape the future of Punjabi cinema. Its success has proven that Punjabi cinema can be a seamless crossover with Hindi and can thrive as a visually compelling story without needing to be dubbed. The film has opened new possibilities for the Punjabi film industry and demonstrated the potential of quality Punjabi content to trigger a new billion-dollar industry.

This article was brought to you by Directorate of Culture and Heritage Research Center (CHRC) and is not necessarily representative of the views of The Herald.