Introduction:
Every film industry has their own name, so as Pakistani. Lollywood is the name of film industry of Pakistan.
Are you thinking how they came up with that name?
The name Lollywood was coined in the early 1990s, when the Pakistani film industry was booming and still bollywood copies those movies.
Why it is called Lollywood?
It is taken from the word Lahore. Pakistani movies were originated from Lahore. Pakistani cinema was based in Lahore in the beginning but as times passed it moved to Karachi. Still there are so many awesome movies come from Lahore. It is also known as Pakistani cinema or Urdu cinema. Pakistani cinema has faced ups and down in history of films.However, the industry has since declined due to a number of internal and external factors. Lollywood produced more than 200 films per anum, but this has decreased to just over 40 around in recent years.
The decline is due to a number of factors, some of them are;
- The competition from Bollywood (Indian Cinema or Indian Movies)
- The poor quality of Pakistani films as in production and other small issues
- Lack of investment in the industry as the audience has not grown as in other countries.
On the other hand due to mentioned factors, Pakistani films are often criticized for being poorly recorded and for having weak stories in movies.
However, there are many Pakistani films that have been appreciated by critics and audiences alike. These include the social dramas like;
- Bol (2011) Atif Aslam’s movie
- Khuda Kay Liye (2007) Shan Masood’s movie
- Action thriller Waar (2013), and
- Biographical drama Moor (2015)
Despite the decline of the industry, there are a number of Pakistani filmmakers who are still working to promote and revive Lollywood in the world.
These include following;
- Director Jamshed Mahmood Raza (Who made a number of critically acclaimed films
- Producer Shahzad Nawaz (Who set up a production company that is dedicated to making high-quality Pakistani films)
There is also a growing number of Pakistani films that are being made for international audiences. These include following;
- Award-winning drama Laal Kabootar (2019) (Screened at a number of international film festivals
- Upcoming action film The Black Prince (2021)
Despite the challenges, there is still a lot of love for Lollywood and its films. This is evident from the large number of people who continue to watch Pakistani films, and the growing number of Pakistani filmmakers who are working to promote and revive the industry.
Why It is less known than Bollywood?
Well, first of all India has larger population than Pakistan, this is the major reason why we are behind them. On the other hand they have more budget, so artist try to reach in bollywood not only from India but Pakistan and other neighboring countries like Srilanka and Bangladesh etc.Performance since the beginning?
Initially it was in good hands but between 1990 to 2002, it did not played well. But in recent years it is going up as crowd has stepped in cinemas. Also good budgets and emerging actors.How can you join it?
Well, times have gone when you had to stay in queue just to give auditions, stand outside of studios. It is youtube and tiktok time, all you have to do is prove yourself to the peoplevia Free and available platforms. Make a video, if it gets better response, share it with the potential director, producer or investor. Recently The Legend of Maula Jatt has crossed all the records in lollywood around the world.Content also taken from here.
One thought on “What is lollywood?”