Shaheer Ahmed
Pakistani culture has truly come into its own, with both performers and artists who have left lasting worldwide legacies and fresh talents who are creating waves on the international arena. In 2022, Pakistan achieved a number of significant firsts in music, film, and television.
First Pakistani artist to win Grammy award:
The song Mohabbat by Pakistani singer-songwriter Arooj Aftab, which is a version of the well-known ghazal by poet Hafeez Hoshiyarpuri and singer Mehdi Hassan, won the prize for Best Global Performance at the Grammys.
This accomplishment marks a significant turning point in Pakistani music and highlights the nation’s growing influence on the world.
First Pakistani film at Cannes:
With the release of Joyland, the first Pakistani film to be chosen for the Cannes Film Festival, in 2022, Pakistani cinema had a significant impact on the international scene. The movie got favourable reviews and took home a number of festival honours, including the Jury Prize and Queer Palm Prize.
It received invitations to screen at numerous additional important film festivals and ended up being Pakistan’s first official Oscar entry.
First Pakistani Blockbuster movie
The Legend Of Maula Jatt was released in October 2022 after over ten years in production. One reviewer compared the movie to Game of Thrones and Gladiator and gave it excellent reviews.
It became the highest-grossing Pakistani movie of all time at the box office, shattering all previous records.
A star-studded cast of Pakistani actors, including Fawad Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Mahira Khan, Humaima Malik, and Mirza Gohar Rasheed, appeared in the movie.
Pakistani actors debut in international media
In the fifth season of the Netflix series The Crown, which premiered in November, Pakistani actor Humayun Saeed played the part of a British-Pakistani surgeon who dated Princess Diana.
The American action-horror series Resident Evil featured Pakistani actor Ahad Raza Mir as well.
The Pakistani-American girl Kamala Khan appeared in the Marvel Comics superhero web series Ms. Marvel in June, which was based on the first Muslim character to get her own comic.
Some of Pakistan’s most well-known performers, including Fawad Khan, Mehwish Hayat, Nimra Bucha, and Samina Ahmad, appear in the first worldwide television series.
What’s Love Got to Do With It?, a British movie, Sajal Aly, a Pakistani actor, made his film debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
The cross-cultural romance comedy is written by screenwriter Jemima Khan and directed by Indian director Shekhar Kapur.
Coke Studio’s globally hit track
The song Pasoori by Shae Gill and Ali Sethi, was featured in the 14th season of Coke Studio.
With around 460 million YouTube views and the distinction of being the first Pakistani song to top Spotify’s global viral charts, the song became a worldwide hit.
It also came in first place for most Google searches for songs in 2022, surpassing even the well-known K-pop group BTS.
