Draft:Mera Lyari

Mera Lyari (Urdu: میرا لیاری) is a 2026 Pakistani sports drama film written and directed by Abu Aleeha and produced by Waqas Hassan Rizvi and Sania Sohail. It stars Ayesha Omar, Dananeer Mobeen, Trinette Lucas, Samiya Mumtaz, Nayyar Ejaz, and Adnan Shah Tipu.^[4][1] The film follows two girls from Lyari, who pursue football while facing family and social restrictions.

The film had its world premiere at the UK Asian Film Festival in London on 2 May 2026 and was released theatrically in Pakistan on 8 May 2026.^[2] The film was backed by the Sindh government^[5] and announced by officials as a response to Dhurandhar, which they said misrepresented Lyari.^[6][7]

Premise

The film follows two girls in Lyari who pursue football despite family and social restrictions. Afsana defies her authoritarian father, while the orphan Kushmala faces a forced marriage. Guided by a one-legged former football captain, they train in secret for a chance to join the Pakistan Football League.^[3]

Cast

• Ayesha Omar as Behnaz Baloch
• Dananeer Mobeen as Afsana Baloch
• Trinette Lucas as Kushmala
• Samiya Mumtaz as Shakira
• Nayyar Ejaz
• Paras Masroor
• Adnan Shah Tipu as Faiq Khan
• Shoaib Hassan

Production

The film was initially developed under the title Behnaz, with Dananeer Mobeen reported to be making her film debut alongside Ayesha Omar in Abu Aleeha's sports thriller.^[8] Principal photography took place in Lyari and concluded in July 2025.^[9][4]

Abu Aleeha said the film had been completed and locked three months before the teaser for the 2025 Indian film Dhurandhar was released. He said that Mera Lyari was shot entirely in Lyari and that around 80 percent of its cast consisted of Lyari residents, including lead actor Shoaib Hassan, supporting actors and local football-team members.^[10]

The film was later retitled Mera Lyari after Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon announced the Sindh government's backing for the project in response to Dhurandhar, which he said misrepresented Lyari.^[6] Memon later said the film had been made on a small budget as part of the provincial government's support for local film projects.^[7]

In an interview with The News published around the film's release, Abu Aleeha said that the idea for Mera Lyari began about four years earlier while he was auditioning performers for Dadaal and observed girls playing football near Sarbazi Ground in Lyari. He said he wanted to make a film about the neighbourhood's children rather than its hardships. Aleeha also said that the film was shot on location in Lyari and that many of the female athletes appearing in the film were actual footballers from the area.^[11]

Aleeha said he cast real footballers because he felt that authentic athleticism would be harder to simulate than performance skills. He described his approach as avoiding rigid staging and allowing non-professional performers to respond naturally to the emotional context of scenes.^[11]

Marketing

The film was first announced on 13 December 2025 by Sharjeel Memon, who described it as a project centred on Lyari and positioned it in response to contemporary regional narratives.^[12] After the film's screening at the UK Asian Film Festival, Dananeer Mobeen said that reducing Mera Lyari to a response to Dhurandhar was a "disservice" to the film, stating that it explored Lyari, football culture, female football culture, women in sports, and South Asian women in sports.^[13]

First-look posters featuring principal characters were unveiled the following day by Ayesha Omar, who described the film as a "labour of love".^[14]

The film's first trailer was released in April 2026. Coverage of the trailer noted that it foregrounded girls in Lyari playing football while facing domestic and social pressure, and positioned the film around themes of resilience, identity and female empowerment.^[15] The Express Tribune reported that the trailer drew online praise, particularly for Dananeer Mobeen's portrayal of Afsana Baloch and the film's representation of Lyari.^[16]

Ahead of the film's UK Asian Film Festival premiere, Ayesha Omar said that Mera Lyari was not intended to counter another film, but to tell a story rooted in Lyari's community, culture, resilience and sporting identity.^[17]

Reception

Richard Maguire of The Reviews Hub reviewed the film following its screening at the UK Asian Film Festival and gave it a 25% rating. He wrote that Mera Lyari addressed important issues, but criticised it as lacking nuance, citing its "broad villains and simple redemptions". Maguire also wrote that the film's use of music and melodrama might alienate some Western audiences, while describing Dananeer Mobeen's performance as "always compelling".^[18]

Mohammad Kamran Jawaid of Dawn criticised the film's thin story, limited football content, editing and music cues, while identifying Dananeer Mobeen's debut performance as its principal strength. He also praised Asrad Khan's cinematography, the film's minimalist production design and its surround-sound mastering.^[19]

Shayan Obaid Alexander, writing for ProPakistani Lens, criticised the film's character development, screenplay, pacing, dialogue and background score, and argued that it placed too little emphasis on football. He praised Dananeer Mobeen's performance, Paras Masroor's supporting role, and aspects of the film's sets and wardrobe, but concluded that it did not succeed as a sports film.^[20]

Ozair Majeed from Pakistani Cinema wroted that, Dananeer Mobeen's performance are very well but the film feels wasted due to the weak story and making, which fails to pay the high-quality tribute to Lyari's rich sporting culture it deserves.^[21]

Sibte Hassan of Nukta gave the film 5 out of 10. He praised Dananeer Mobeen's performance, particularly her use of the Lyari dialect and physical commitment to the role, but criticised the film's flashback-heavy structure, limited use of music, flat football sequences, post-production choices, and abrupt ending.^[22]

See also

• List of Pakistani films of 2026

References

External links

• Mera Lyari at IMDb