Hamza Ali Abbasi, a superstar years into self-inflicted exile from showbiz, is now ready to return with nothing short of a magnum opus, The Legend of Maula Jatt.
The 38-year-old actor, who would rather dedicate his time to learning and bettering himself than churning out inevitable hits, took a bow from the big screen in 2018 and now, after a long hiatus, is eyeing a triumphant return with Bilal Lashari’s retelling of a classic tale.
While The Legend of Maula Jatt has itself gained the reputation as somewhat of a legend in the making for about a decade now, Hamza has also made a name for himself as an enigma during his time away from the screen.
Hamza Ali Abbasi opens up about his return to the big screen after four years in ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’
However, he is now ready to get candid about his hiatus, and his much-awaited return to the silver screen.
In a conversation with Geo TV, Hamza opened up about his thoughts about Maula Jatt, what the public should expect from him, and his understanding of the fusion of his craft and the religion he holds so close to his heart.
“I took a long break to focus on educating myself,” Hamza shared, adding that even now, as the world awaits the release of the biggest Pakistani production starring him, he is “focusing on doing less but quality work.”
Hamza then dives into detailing his reasoning behind the ‘break’ from acting, which he believes he already explained in a 18-minute-long video he shared some four-and-a-half years ago announcing the said break.
“I never announced my exit from the industry, in fact, I made a whole video that majority of the people didn’t watch, and just read the headlines that I’ve left acting,” he said.
He continued: “In that video… I specifically said that I’ve reached that point in life where I have 100% belief in the whole system of Allah, the Holy Prophet (PBUH), holy books, Day of Judgement, the concept of heaven and hell…”
Hamza further explained: “I realised that all of it is real, and so, I will be taking a long break to watch the whole film of the trailer I’ve seen about religion. I want to reach to the depths of my questions, and learn more about my own self.”
The Alif actor also categorically stated: “The version of religion that I align myself with, the religion of Allah, does not categorize entertainment in itself, be it music or acting, as haram (prohibited).”
So, where does The Legend of Maula Jatt lie within Hamza’s version of his craft? By his own admission, it holds quite the top spot because he has huge expectations with the project which he proudly describes as the ‘biggest production in Pakistan’.
“I am very hopeful about Maula Jatt because it’s one of the biggest productions of Pakistan, budget and scale wise. Its success is gonna set a milestone for other films,” said Hamza.
“I am really hopeful not just because it’s my own project, but it will be a huge step forward for the media industry overall. If Maula Jatt is successful, it will also encourage others to make projects on such a big scale and budget.”
Hamza is also confident that the story, a remake of the 1979 cult classic Punjabi flick of the same name by Younis Malik, is eternally relevant, and so will not have a hard time resonating with people more than four decades after the original.
“Good versus evil, the clash between good and bad and principal versus evil, like in Maula Jatt, has existed in every society since the dawn of time, it’s an integral part of humanity,” Hamza believes.
According to the Parwaaz Hai Junoon actor, the Maula Jatt team has worked hard to not limit the film by a time/period constraint.
“As far as the script is concerned, the way we’ve shown it is very time neutral. It’s not shot in this age or even in prehistoric times, you can interpret it in whatever time and age… because, the story itself is relevant,” Hamza said.
As the release of The Legend of Maula Jatt inches closer each day; the film is slated to hit theatres on October 13, 2022, Hamza has also revealed that fans can expect to see him in something new as early as next year.
“I might do something new by next year. Something that is within the limits defined by Allah,” Hamza concluded on a high note.
In the 24th fixture of the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi, Islamabad United have won the toss and opted to bowl against Multan Sultans.
At the moment, United are in the second spot on the points table with 10 points, having lost only two of the seven matches they have played during the tournament so far.
The Sultans, with eight points, rank at number three — having won four of the seven matches they have played so far.
Playing XIs
Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Shan Masood, Rilee Rossouw, David Miller, Tim David, Kieron Pollard, Anwar Ali, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ilyas, Ihsanullah
Islamabad United: Alex Hales, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Colin Munro, Shadab Khan (c), Azam Khan, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Mubasir Khan, Rumman Raees, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Renowned Pakistani film and television actor Hamza Ali Abbasi is all set to stage his come-back on the tv screen with upcoming drama serial “Jaan-e-Jahan”, the actor announced on Tuesday.
Abbasi informed his followers regarding his return to the TV screen on his official Instagram handle by sharing a teaser of an upcoming project.
He wrote in his post: “Happy to introduce you to the captivating world of our upcoming project Jaan-e-Jahan written by Rida Bilal, directed by Qasim Ali Mureed,”.
He further wrote that “the drama is produced by Samina Humayun Saeed and Sana Shahnawaz coming soon on a TV screen near you.”
The actor has showcased his acting talent in many well-known dramas before but had announced his decision to withdraw from the showbiz industry over a year ago to devote more of his time to religion.
The actor’s last performance as Noori Natt in Bilal Lashari’s ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt‘, one of Pakistan’s highest-grossing films of all time, had his fans gripped to the screen. He had starred alongside Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan in Lashari’s magnum opus.
In an exclusive interview with Geo TV earlier, Abbasi had spoken of his role in “The Legend Maula Jatt” project that was touted as the game-changer and saviour of Pakistani cinema while dishing on the challenges he faced in the process of transforming into the barbaric Noori Natt.
“It takes a lot of guts to handle the kind of pressure that comes with such projects but you eventually get the courage to deal with it,” Abbasi had said.
Abbasi had further added that if one chooses to do such projects then they must ‘learn to tackle the challenges that come with it’ while adding: “As for us; me and Bilal [Lashari], we have become immune to it now.”
A brand new trophy was unveiled for the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday.
The 24-carat “Supernova Trophy” was revealed at the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore and has left fans reeling.
The PSL trophy is more than just an award, it is in many ways the biggest trophy a cricket team can win in Pakistan, given that in the last 8 years, PSL has come to be deeply loved by fans.
At such a time, let’s take a look at the journey of PSL trophies over the years.
PSL 2016
The trophy was taken home by winners of the first-ever PSL tournament, Islamabad United, in 2016. — Facebook/LIVEPSL4
PSL 2017
The trophy of the second edition of PSL, won by Peshawar Zalmi in 2017. — Facebook/LIVEPSL4
PSL 2018
A photograph of the trophy won by Islamabad United in 2018 after being crowned champions for the second time. — Facebook/LIVEPSL4
PSL 2019
The trophy was won by Quetta Gladiators in 2019. — Facebook/LIVEPSL4
PSL 2020-2022
It must be noted that in 2020, the PCB announced that the PCB trophy revealed that year was here to stay. Therefore, between 2020 and 2022, the same trophy was used, and the winning team’s name was embossed on it each of the three years.
The trophy was taken home by Karachi Kings, Multan Sultans and Lahore Qalandars in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. — Twitter
PSL 2023
It is yet to be seen who will win this year’s “Supernova Trophy” revealed on February 9, 2023. — PCB/@TheRealPCB