Aijaz Gul

What should a remake of the most popular film be like?

The film ridiculed the establishment.

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Why should one even bother to think of Maula Jatt after over 35 years of its release back on February 11, 1979. Many of us may believe the film has retained its influence in films and its importance has not faded with the passage of 35 years. Where did the characters of the film come from, would a remake be a good idea, and if so, what should the remake be like?

Maula Jatt came out during General Ziaul Haq’s Martial law. The film ridiculed the establishment — the institution of police in particular. A democratically-elected government had been overthrown two years back in 1977, an elected prime minister was behind bars and was about to be executed. People opposed to President Zia’s ‘Islam’ were receiving lashes in public and put behind bars.

Maula Jatt came to rescue all that. It answered violence with violence.

It became the most controversial and infamous films of its time. Banned by the Central Board of Film Censors several times, it kept coming back to the movie houses under court’s stay order, successfully managed (and manipulated) by producer Sarwar Bhatti. The more infamous it became, the more gold Sarwar Bhatti minted at the box office.

The two major characters of the film, Sultan Rahi and Mustafa Qureshi (with his special Punjabi accent), exchanged name-calling and slurs which now have became tag lines for commercials and advertisements on TV and newspapers (Nawa’n aian ai sonian).

These characters were vigilantes and people, sick and tired of the Martial law regime, applauded them with garlands. This was the key to the success of the film and its superheroes, along with the fact that it was banned several times.

But why would people remember the film after 35 years?

Nothing came between then and now which was dramatically so gross, loud and absurd. Maula Jatt was not the first film of its kind. The 1970s had earlier seen equal or even more dosage of sex and violence in Dulhan Aik Raat Ki (1975) which was also blessed by being banned and re-released on court stay orders. Khofnak, Ayyash, Warrant, Malikzada, Jeera Sai’n, Sharif Ziddi, and Curfew Order were other feats but nothing worked like Maula Jatt.

Even after Maula Jatt, violent orgies continued in Maidan, Chalaan, and Sholay but nothing surpassed or even vaguely came close to the success of Maula Jatt. Director Yonus Malik and script writer Nasir Adeeb churned out dozens of vengeance-filled thrillers but nothing ever brought back the glories of golden box office.

Whoever is planning to remake Maula Jatt should think twice and shelve the idea. As the American saying goes “Don’t fix it what’s not broken”, Maula Jatt is not broken and shall remain popular forever.

Maula Jatt (1979)
Director: Yonus Malik
Script: Nasir Adeeb
Producer: Sarwar Bhatti
Music: Master Inayat Hussain
Cast: Sultan Rahi, Mustafa Qurashi, Aasia

 

From : The News March 23, 2014