Mera Lyari Compared With Dhurandhar Bombs At Boxoffice

Pakistan’s film Mera Lyari has seen a very poor run in theatres. The movie was called the country’s “reply” to India’s Dhurandhar by many people online. But it failed to pull crowds after release. Reports say the film sold only about 22 tickets in some theatres. Due to low turnout, many halls pulled it out within days. The film came out on May 8 and did not get any big openings.

Mera Lyari was directed by Abu Aleeha. The story was set in Karachi’s Lyari area and focused on women’s football. It showed how young girls chase their dreams despite family and social pressure. Ayesha Omar played a disabled football coach who returns to Lyari to train local girls for national games. Dananeer Mobeen, Samia Mumtaz, and Trinette Lucas also played key roles. The film tried to show a hopeful and emotional side of Lyari with sports, family, and community life.

The film got a lot of talk before release because people compared it to Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar. That Indian spy thriller starred Ranveer Singh, R Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, and Sara Arjun. It showed Lyari with themes of gang wars and crime. Mera Lyari tried to show peace and pride instead. Even a Sindh minister backed the film and said it shows the true face of Lyari.

Director Abu Aleeha said his film was made three months before Dhurandhar’s teaser and was not a reply to anyone. While Dhurandhar became one of the year’s biggest global hits, Mera Lyari did not work at all. The huge hype turned into a big flop, and the box office numbers tell the whole story. While compared to themes there is no resemblance between both films, the common 'Lyari' region draws comparisons among Pakistani twitter.