Karachi Se Lahore is a 2015 Pakistani road-comedy adventure film directed and produced by Wajahat Rauf under production banner Showcase Productions. The film's story is written by Yasir HussainKarachi Se Lahore features an ensemble cast, including Javed Sheikh, Mantaha Tareen Maqsood, Yasir Hussain, Ahmed Ali Akbar, Eshita Syed, Aashir Wajahat and Rasheed Naz, whereas lead roles are played by Shehzad Sheikh and Ayesha Omer. This is the first Pakistani road-trip film which covers the 36 hours journey from Karachi to Lahore in real time, where the characters face obstacles, overcome them and undergo personal growth. The film was released by IMGC Global Entertainment in cinemas nationwide on July 31, 2015. In its opening weekend, it took in at the local box office and at the end of run, film reached the benchmark of, becoming a box-office success. It is first Pakistani film to be premiered in Hollywood. The film was followed by a spin-off titled Lahore Se Aagey, which was released in 2016.
Plot
Zaheem, the protagonist has been mistreated his entire life by his parents, teachers, bosses and his girlfriend. But when he learns that his longtime girlfriend Ayesha is marrying her cousin in Lahore, he decides to stand up for himself for the first time in his life and go to Lahore to stop the wedding. He gets help from his friends Moti, Sam, his neighbor Mariyam and her little brother, Zeezo. They take Mariyam's dad's Jeep, which is a precious Jeep no one can take. Her dad is going to Islamabad, so he won't know about it. As they all go on the road trip, Zaheem gets closer with Mariyam. They stop to take a break and it turns out they went the wrong way. Zaheem slaps Moti and they argue about it. Later, they reconcile. Some Pashtun people kidnap Sam. Zeezo knows where they went so they go there. In order to take Sam back, Mariyam has to dance in front of everyone. Zaheem falls in love with Mariyam. They finally arrive in Lahore and at Ayesha's wedding. They see Mariyam's dad over there, so they stay away from him. Zaheem sees Ayesha. He goes to her and tells her how much he loves her. Mariyam sees this and runs away crying. Zaheem realizes he loves Mariyam, not Ayesha. He runs after Mariyam and they talk. Zaheem proposes to Mariyam with a Cornetto. She says yes and they celebrate. Mariyam's dad sees the Jeep and he drives it to Zaheem, Mariyam, Sam, Moti and Zeezo. They all see the Jeep and the dad. The film ends with them screaming "Papa".
First poster of film was revealed on January 13, 2015. The first look teaser of an item song featuring Ayesha Omer released on March 21. First look teaser trailer along with poster was revealed in a press conference held in Karachi. Theatrical poster featuring film sponsors with release date was revealed on April 30, 2015. Character poster featuring Yasir Hussain was revealed on June 30. More character posters were also revealed later in same month. On July 17 a video song titled Aja Re Aja was released on Vimeo. Digital marketing and PR for the film is being handled by SocialSell, the official digital partners for the film. The soundtrack of this movie was also released in India under the label of Sony Music.
Release
Karachi se Lahore was released nationwide in over 60 screens on 31 July 2015. The film was premiered in Hollywood, Los Angeles on August 16. The world television premiere of film was shown on Urdu 1 on 25th Sep 2015. It will released in the USA on November 27, 2015.
Critical reception
Rafay Mahmood of The Express Tribune rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and given the verdict as "Karachi Se Lahore has hilarious moments that at times seem out of place. Watch the film to learn some new jokes, but opt out if you are looking for a good big screen experience."
Spin-off
In November 2015, director Wajahat Rauf announced that there will be a spin-off film of Karachi Se Lahore, scheduled to be released in 2016. He said: "This will be more of a romantic-comedy and will follow the adventures of a young couple. It is set right after the events of Karachi Se Lahore." The film was titled Lahore Se Aagey, and starred Saba Qamar and Yasir Hussain in starring roles alongside Rubina Ashraf, Behroze Sabzwari and Atiqa Odho. It was released on November 11, 2016 to poor critical response.
