KARACHI: Just when Pakistani cinema had began to expand beyond the same romantic comedies being told and retold, it hit yet another roadblock. Abu Aleeha broke barriers by bringing a true crime thriller called Javed Iqbal: The Untold Story Of A Serial Killer to our screens back in December 2021. But just days after the movie’s special screening took place, it was banned by the censor board. Based on the true story of Pakistani serial killer Javed Iqbal, the movie was set to star Yasir Hussain as the notorious killer and Ayesha Omar as the police officer who brought him down. But it seems as though, Abu Aleeha is not one to give up and has re-submitted the Javed Iqbal movie under a new name and with a few changes.
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Out with an agenda to bring the movie back to Pakistani screens, Abu Aleeha made the decision to change the name of the movie to Kukri which he explained was the serial killers’ nickname. As per the director, “We have an understanding with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and with censor board’s new management in [the] federal [government]. They have given us suggestions such as changing the name and after implementing those, we are re-submitting the film. Kukri is the new name of Javed Iqbal.” He also revealed that new version has an extended 15 minutes added. If things go as per plan, “InshaAllah we will receive good news and as soon as it passes the censor board’s check, we will put the film on display between the choti Eid and bari Eid.”
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Despite the roadblocks the Javed Iqbal movie faced at home, it proved to be successful abroad. Abu Aleeha won Best Director for the film while Yasir Hussain was awarded Best Actor at the UK Asian Film Festival. A sequel for the movie is already in the works and talks about streaming on OTT platforms are underway.
