Despite experiencing numerous obstacles, Pakistani filmmaker Abu Aleeha isn’t giving up on the release of his movie, which was previously known as Javed Iqbal. He is resubmitting the movie to the censor board for approval after editing and changing the title to Kukri.
In an interview with a local media site, the filmmaker explained the history of the title change for the movie and explained that it was inspired by the moniker given to Javed Iqbal, the main character, because of the peculiar manner he sat.
Aleeha continued, “The production company previously decided to release the film independently because it lacked distributors, but they now have a partnership with “Everyday Pictures” and will be submitting the film to the censor board.”
Aleeha added that they are familiar with the federal government’s new censor board management as well as the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The name of the movie has been suggested to be changed among other recommendations for improvement.
Between Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha, Aleeha intends to screen the movie after it passes the censor board’s inspection.
The movie’s release date was originally scheduled for October 2021, however it was postponed several times, first to December 2021 and then to January 28, 2022. However, after the Punjabi government stopped the release, it was further delayed. Kukri received its international premiere at a UK film festival and was chosen for the Berlin International Art Film Festival despite these insurmountable challenges.
Aleeha is presently working on a sequel that will be released in the summer and has also stated plans to release an uncut version of the movie on an OTT platform. Producing the movie is Javed Ahmed Kakepoto.
The director of Kukri wrote the screenplay, and the tale is based on the renowned serial killer Javed Iqbal. On January 25, 2022, the movie had its Karachi premiere at Nueplex Cinema, where it was well-received by the audience.