Bilal Lashari: Pakistani cinema’s one man army

Bilal Lashari is many things, a film director, cinematographer, screenwriter, and even an occasional actor and has flawlessly honed his craft in almost all areas of filmmaking, which is considered something quite rare in Pakistan. Famed for his directorial debut in the 2013 movie Waar which broke multiple records, Bilal was able to carve his own niche in the film industry in a short span of time. The action thriller was also shot and edited by Lashari himself. Born in Quetta, the underrated cinematographer belongs to a Balochi family and holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and majored in motion pictures and television from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California.

Upon his return, he dipped his creative hand in music videos first and directed the music video of Sajni Pass Bulao Na by Jal – The Band which earned him many praises along with a Lux Style Award, especially for its visual effects and sterling direction. Unlike conventional directors in Pakistani, Lashari has a knack for bringing something unique and peculiar to the screens.

His style of filming majorly relies on CGI graphics and action-packed sequences. Despite commendable expertise and being perpetually in command of his vocation, the auteur’s films always gets delayed, apart from Waar- his most anticipated film The Legend Of Maula Jatt has been postponed indefinitely. It is quite rare to see a director who decides to serve as their own cinematographers and editors but Bilal Lashari surely always gets the job done-even if the final products take years to perfect.

If you would ask us, we firmly believe that the young DoP (director of photography) has the ability to offer a kaleidoscope of views whenever he takes the helm and his prowess is definitely something our film industry can use, especially in the genre of action-thriller.

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