Overview
- Mera Lyari, which opened May 8, was removed from several theaters after reports that it sold only 22 tickets on day one.
- Sindh minister Sharjeel Inam Memon cast the film as a corrective to India’s “negative propaganda” about Karachi’s Lyari.
- Director Abu Aleeha said the movie was completed before Dhurandhar’s teaser and was not conceived as a reply.
- Pakistani commentators blamed weak marketing, questionable casting and sluggish storytelling for the lack of turnout.
- The episode unfolds against anger over Dhurandhar’s depiction of Lyari, with that Bollywood hit reportedly banned in Pakistan yet widely viewed through piracy.