import a from '../../utils/grammar'; Best Movies from Pakistan — Ranked by Celluloid Score | Celluloid Skip to main content
Celluloid

Films from Pakistan

Best Movies from Pakistan

Pakistan's catalogue on Celluloid runs to 9 films spanning 2003–2022 across 2 languages — chiefly Urdu and Punjabi —, led by Joyland (83%) and The Legend of Maula Jatt (82%). Every title is ranked by our four-input Celluloid Score with critic consensus and expert reviews on each film page.

Quick Answer

The highest-rated Pakistan film on Celluloid is Joyland (2022) with an 83% Celluloid Score — Recommended.

9
Films indexed
78%
Avg. Celluloid Score
2
Languages
9
Critic reviews

Guide to Pakistan Movies on Celluloid

Each film from Pakistan in our catalogue includes a Celluloid Score from up to four verified inputs, original verdict text, and linked editorial reviews where available. Audience sentiment is separate.

Titles are indexed by original language and country of production for easier discovery.

Essential Pakistan Picks

Top 5 by Celluloid Score
Joyland 2022 · Saim Sadiq · Urdu

Pakistan's most important recent film — Joyland balances family melodrama with queer tenderness, earning Oscar shortlist recognition and Lux Style Awards glory while surviving domestic censorship battles.

83%
Celluloid Score Recommended
The Legend of Maula Jatt 2022 · Bilal Lashari · Punjabi

A thunderous, visually spectacular reinvention of a Punjabi legend — a watershed for Pakistani cinema, powered by career-defining turns from Fawad Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi.

82%
Celluloid Score Recommended
Khamosh Pani 2003 · Sabiha Sumar · Punjabi

Sabiha Sumar’s partition-era tragedy took KaraFilm’s Special Jury Award plus Best Actress and Best Screenplay — still the defining Pakistani art film of the early 2000s.

80%
Celluloid Score Recommended
Cake 2018 · Asim Abbasi · Urdu

Pakistan's ensemble drama at its finest — Cake won Lux Style Awards Best Film with performances from Aamina Sheikh and Sanam Saeed that treat sibling rivalry as tragedy and comedy simultaneously.

79%
Celluloid Score Recommended
Khuda Kay Liye 2007 · Shoaib Mansoor · Urdu

Shoaib Mansoor’s music-and-identity drama helped restart Pakistani theatrical cinema in the mid-2000s — the commercial revival that KaraFilm’s indie circuit fought to make possible.

76%
Celluloid Score Recommended

Pakistan Movie Reviews

All reviews →

Full critic reviews with answer-engine summaries — each review answers whether the film is worth watching, what it is about, and where to stream it.

Joyland (2022) ★★★★½

Joyland (2022) Review: Desire and Duty in a Lahore Home

Joyland is Saim Sadiq's Cannes prize-winning Pakistani drama about a married man who falls for a trans dancer, a tender, devastating portrait of a family bound by duty.

Yes. It is one of the finest Pakistani films of recent years, a humane family drama for viewers who value patient, character-driven storytelling.
The Legend of Maula Jatt (2022) ★★★★½

The Legend of Maula Jatt (2022) Review: Punjabi Myth Reborn

The Legend of Maula Jatt is Bilal Lashari's blood-soaked Punjabi folk epic, a visually spectacular landmark for Pakistani cinema led by Fawad Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi.

Yes. It is a thunderous, handsomely made action epic for viewers who love mythic larger-than-life storytelling; those averse to heavy stylised violence should steer clear.
Khamosh Pani (2003) ★★★★☆

Khamosh Pani (2003) Review: When Silence Hides History

Khamosh Pani is Sabiha Sumar's quietly powerful Pakistani drama about a widow whose village is swept up by religious fervour, led by a superb Kirron Kher.

Yes. It is an essential, deeply humane South Asian drama for viewers interested in history, faith and women's lives, despite some schematic storytelling.
Cake (2018) ★★★★☆

Cake (2018) Review: Sisters, Duty and Unfinished Business

Cake is Asim Abbasi's Karachi family drama about siblings reunited to care for ageing parents, led by superb work from Aamina Sheikh and Sanam Saeed.

Yes, with reservations. It is one of the best modern Pakistani family dramas, ideal for fans of ensemble stories, even if it runs long and leans on melodrama late on.
Laal Kabootar (2019) ★★★★☆

Laal Kabootar (2019) Review: Neon Noir on Karachi Streets

Laal Kabootar is Kamal Khan's stylish Karachi crime thriller, in which a taxi driver and a grieving widow collide in the city's underworld. Confident, gritty noir.

Yes. It is one of the sharpest Pakistani genre films of recent years, ideal for crime-thriller fans, even if its plotting leans on familiar noir turns.
Khuda Kay Liye (2007) ★★★★☆

Khuda Kay Liye (2007) Review: Faith Argued Out Loud

Khuda Kay Liye is Shoaib Mansoor's ambitious post-9/11 Pakistani drama about two musician brothers pulled apart by extremism and suspicion, bold if often preachy.

Yes. It is a landmark Pakistani film and a gripping, provocative drama about faith and identity, though its long running time and speeches test patience.
Kamli (2022) ★★★½☆

Kamli (2022) Review: Desire, Guilt and Silence

Kamli is Sarmad Khoosat's bold Pakistani drama about a woman's repressed desire and religious guilt, led by a fearless Saba Qamar and as divisive as it is striking.

Yes, with reservations. Its daring subject and Saba Qamar's intensity reward patient viewers of art-house drama, though its stylised, slow approach will not suit all.
Zinda Bhaag (2013) ★★★★☆

Zinda Bhaag (2013) Review: Lahore Dreams of Getting Out

Zinda Bhaag is a lively, bittersweet Punjabi-language drama about three young Lahore men desperate to escape abroad, and a landmark for new Pakistani cinema.

Yes, with reservations. It is funny, humane and full of local colour, though uneven in pace. Best for viewers curious about Pakistani cinema and stories of migration.
Bol (2011) ★★★★☆

Bol (2011) Review: A Daughter Demands to Be Heard

Bol is Shoaib Mansoor's fearless Pakistani family drama about a tyrannical father, his daughters and an intersex child, a passionate if overlong plea to be heard.

Yes, with reservations. It is a brave, powerfully acted social drama that tackles taboos head-on, for viewers who can accept its melodrama, speeches and long running time.

Popular Genres

Drama 8 Romance 2 Family 2 Action 1 Fantasy 1 Crime 1

All Pakistan Movies

Ranked by Celluloid Score

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best movies from Pakistan?

Browse our Pakistan catalogue sorted by Celluloid Score — the highest-rated films appear first with critic and audience ratings on every card.

How does Celluloid rate films from Pakistan?

Celluloid Score combines Celluloid editorial, Metascore, Letterboxd and IMDb inputs into a single percentage; audience sentiment is displayed separately alongside the written verdict and review.