Pakistan faced another embarrassment after its movie 'Mera Lyari', a response to Aditya Dhar's 'Dhurandhar' failed miserably at the box office within days of its release and was able to sold just 22 tickets, media reports have claimed. In contrast, Dhurandhar collected ₹1350.83 cr. at the worldwide box office. In India, it collected ₹895.96 cr. net (₹1057.8 cr. Gross) and in overseas, it grossed ₹293.03 cr.
Directed by Abu Aleeha, Mera Lyari aimed to present a positive image of Karachi's Lyari town and is a sports drama centred on women's football. But the movie failed to attract the audience and reports claimed that several theatres removed it after extremely poor occupancy and ticket sales reportedly touched just 22 admissions in some locations.
Mera Lyari flops big time
Pakistani film Mera Lyari garnered major attention and is based on the female football players from the historic Karachi borough. Released on May 8, the film struggled to attract audiences to the theatre and the film's performance was extremely weak right from the start. Local media reports that the movie just sold 22 tickets and in several locations, screenings were reportedly stopped within a day, as theatres replaced it with other titles that had better demand.
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Mera Lyari cast
The movie starred actors like Ayesha Omar, Dananeer Mobeen, Samia Mumtaz, and Trinette Lucas. Mera Lyari follows the story of a disabled football coach (Omar) who returns home to Lyari after a long absence to conduct trials for girls in the area. There, Afsana (Mobeen), in defiance of her strict father and Kushmala (Lucas), running from a forced marriage, find an escape in the beautiful game, training in secret with the coach for a shot at competing on a national level.
'Negative portrayals from India'
The film also garnered political interest, with Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon publicly supporting the project, framing it as a counter-narrative to what he described as "negative portrayals from India. Despite this backing, Mera Lyari's theatrical run has been short-lived, with minimal box office presence.
When the movie was announced in December, Memon had called Dhurandhar “yet another example of negative propaganda by the Indian film industry against Pakistan,” adding that Mera Lyari will show “the true face of Lyari: peace, prosperity, and pride”.
Why was Mera Lyari compared to Dhurandhar?
Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar, is a spy thriller set in Karachi’s Lyari area. The film stars Ranveer Singh as an Indian spy who infiltrates the gang of Rehman Baloch during the mid-2000s. Through themes of crime, terrorism and espionage, the movie presents a gritty portrayal of Lyari.
In contrast, Mera Lyari took a much more positive and emotional approach. Directed by Abu Aleeha, the film focused on women’s football, the dreams of local youth, and everyday community life, aiming to show a more inspiring side of Lyari. Even before release, the sharp difference in how both films portrayed the area sparked intense discussion on social media.
