Discover the best of Pakistani cinema, film, and television
Discover the definitive list of popular and critically-acclaimed movies and TV shows from Pakistan. Find your next binge-watch, streaming on Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Prime Video, and other top services!
The cinema of Pakistan
Pakistani cinema is a world of breathtaking poetry and profound emotion, a screen culture defined by a dazzling cinematic revival and what is arguably one of the world's most sophisticated television drama scenes. For decades, its heart was 'Lollywood', the film industry based in Lahore, celebrated for its golden age of soulful music and high romance. In the new millennium, a powerful rebirth began. Visionary director Shoaib Mansoor ignited this new wave with brave, socially conscious blockbusters like Khuda Kay Liye and Bol. This renaissance has since produced the record-shattering action epic The Legend of Maula Jatt and critically acclaimed, award-winning films like Joyland, which triumphed at the Cannes Film Festival. But Pakistan’s true global superpower is its television. The Pakistani drama, or 'serial', is a cultural phenomenon. Unlike endless soaps, these are finite, beautifully written stories that explore family and romance with incredible realism and emotional depth. Series like the legendary Humsafar and Zindagi Gulzar Hai have become beloved classics, earning a massive, devoted following not just at home but across the entire global diaspora. What makes Pakistani screen culture so special is this incredible fusion of high art and popular heart. It’s a world where powerful film music can tell a story on its own, and where the quiet, intelligent drama is the envy of the world.
Best Pakistani series
Zindagi Gulzar Hai 2012
A school teacher was left by her husband with her 3 daughters and marries another women for the sake of getting a male child. The story focuses on gender biasness and the difference between the classes in terms of the affluence level.
79
Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum 2024
Opposites attract with the love story between a bibliophile, topper and a sorted girl with a practical approach and a laid-back guy.
86
Humsafar 2011
Ashar and Khirad are forced to get married due to desperate circumstances. Sara is Ashar's childhood friend and believed she would marry Ashar. Khirad is caught within this love-triangle with other internal and external forces at play.
78
Suno Chanda 2018
The series revolves around two people who hate each other but their families want them to marry. They make some plans to cancel their wedding but slowly get in love.
79
Churails 2020
Four women set up an undercover detective agency to expose philandering husbands.
73
Alif 2019
Momin is a successful film director on a journey to reconnect with his roots and Momina is a struggling actress determined to maintain the livelihood of her family. Unbeknownst to both, their paths will bring them together. Adapted from the spiritual drama novel of the same name by Umera Ahmed.
79
Best Pakistani movies
Joyland 2022
As a patriarchal family yearns for the birth of a son to continue their family line, their youngest son secretly joins an erotic dance theatre and falls for its transgender starlet.
73
Sitara: Let Girls Dream 2019
Pari, a 14-year-old girl, dreams of becoming a pilot while growing up in a society that doesn’t allow her to dream.
69
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness 2015
A woman in Pakistan sentenced to death for falling in love becomes a rare survivor of the country's harsh judicial system.
75
The Legend of Maula Jatt 2022
Maula Jatt, a fierce prizefighter with a tortured past seeks vengeance against his arch nemesis Noori Natt, the most feared warrior in the land of Punjab.
70
Waar 2013
The efforts of the Pakistani security forces in their fight against terrorism and how the lives of security officials are affected. A retired security officer returns to save Pakistan from a major terrorist attack.
59
The Glassworker 2024
A young glassworker-in-training living with his pacifist father finds his apprenticeship upended by an impending war and the arrival of an army colonel to their seaside town.
70