Lali traces the lives of Zeba and Sajawal, a couple who both carry wounds that refuse to heal, and whose union feels less like a choice and more like destiny. Sajawal has a prominent birthmark that makes him insecure and suspicious, and he enters the relationship with anxieties about masculinity and self-worth. Meanwhile, Zeba carries the stigma of misfortune: although thrice engaged in the past, all three of her fiancés died before their wedding could take place. Sarmad Khoosat’s film explores the fragile boundaries between love, fear, trauma, and obsession within the institution of marriage.
Through its evocative visual language — lingering on faces, textures, and spaces — Lali allows emotion to emerge through silence as much as through dialogue. The film’s compelling cinematic language is perhaps its greatest strength, offering a bold and deeply personal exploration of family, marriage, and inherited trauma. With rich symbolism and emotional depth, Lali stands out as a distinctive and significant work of contemporary Pakistani cinema.
Content Considerations: Gender or sexual discrimination, domestic violence
Media Partner
Mamya Shajaffar, Channan Hanif, Rasti Farooq, Farazeh Syed, Mehr Bano
Pakistan
2026
In Punjabi with English subtitles
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Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Tooba Siddiqui, Faisal Shah, Umar Malik, Hasan Tahir, Raza Shaukat Latif, Fatima Raza Latif
Producer
Kanwal Khoosat
Screenwriter
Sarmad Sultan Khoosat, Sundus Hashmi
Cinematography
Khizer Idrees
Editor
Saim Sadiq
Production Design
Kanwal Khoosat
Original Music
Abdullah Siddiqui
Sarmad Sultan Khoosat
Sarmad Sultan Khoosat is a Pakistani filmmaker, actor, writer, and producer whose work has defined contemporary South Asian storytelling. Born in Lahore, he holds a master’s degree in psychology — a foundation that informs his nuanced explorations of human emotions, identity, and societal complexities. His feature film Joyland (2022) made history as Pakistan’s first official selection at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize in Un Certain Regard and became Pakistan’s official selection for the Academy Awards. In 2016, Khoosat was honored with Pakistan’s Pride of Performance, the country’s highest civil award for artistic excellence.
Filmography: Manto (2015); Zindagi Tamasha (Circus of Life) (2019); Kamli (2022)
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