Nabeel Qureshi (director)

Nabeel Qureshi
Qureshi in 2016
Born1985 (age 40–41)
Occupations
  • Film director
  • Screenwriter
Years active2004–present

Nabeel Qureshi (Urdu: نبیل قریشی; born 1985) is a Pakistani film director and screenwriter. He made his feature-film directorial debut with the comedy thriller Na Maloom Afraad (2014), which he co-wrote with Fizza Ali Meerza. He has since collaborated frequently with Meerza through Filmwala Pictures, directing films including Actor in Law (2016), Load Wedding (2018), Khel Khel Mein (2021), Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad (2022), Na Baligh Afraad (2024), and Zombeid (2026).

Qureshi's films have included social comedy subjects such as dowry in Load Wedding and the legacy of the 1971 fall of Dhaka in Khel Khel Mein. He won the Lux Style Award for Best Film Director for Na Maloom Afraad and Actor in Law, and shared the Film of the Year – Viewers' Choice award for Khel Khel Mein at the 21st Lux Style Awards.

Early career

Before working in feature films, Qureshi studied theatre at the National Academy of Performing Arts in Karachi and worked in television, including on commercials and videos for Banana News Network. A 2014 profile in The News on Sunday described him as a Karachi-based filmmaker and former producer of Banana News Network.[1]

Career

Feature-film debut and early success

Qureshi made his feature-film directorial debut with the comedy thriller Na Maloom Afraad (2014), which he co-wrote with producer Fizza Ali Meerza.[1] He said in a 2014 interview that he and Meerza developed the screenplay together because they wanted the film to be written specifically for cinema rather than adapted from television writing practices.[1]

Qureshi with frequent collaborator Fizza Ali Meerza in 2014

Na Maloom Afraad earned Rs. 110 million in two and a half months and received a special screening at the South Asian International Film Festival in New York.[1] A review in Herald described the film as a light-hearted comedy that used colloquial humour and a Karachi setting to address urban violence and social disorder.[2] At the 14th Lux Style Awards, Qureshi won Best Film Director for the film.

Qureshi and Meerza next collaborated on Actor in Law (2016), a social comedy starring Fahad Mustafa, Mehwish Hayat and Om Puri.[3] The film became the highest-grossing Pakistani film of 2016.[4] Qureshi and Meerza have described their working arrangement as a collaborative script-development process, with Meerza producing and Qureshi directing.[4] At the 16th Lux Style Awards, Actor in Law won Best Film and Qureshi won Best Film Director.[5]

Later 2010s work

Qureshi continued his collaboration with Meerza on Na Maloom Afraad 2 (2017) and Load Wedding (2018). Load Wedding, starring Fahad Mustafa and Mehwish Hayat, deals with wedding-related social pressure and the practice of dowry.[6] Qureshi said that popular culture could play a role in social change, while reviews also noted the film's focus on the burden placed on women by wedding customs and dowry expectations.[6][7]

2020s

In 2019, Qureshi and Meerza announced two films, Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad and Fatman. Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad was described as an action comedy about a police officer, while Fatman was described as an action comedy drama about an ordinary person who accidentally becomes a superhero.[8] In March 2020, Qureshi said that pre-production on Fatman had been halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, while post-production on Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad continued.[9]

Qureshi directed Khel Khel Mein (2021), starring Sajal Aly and Bilal Abbas Khan. The film focuses on the events surrounding the 1971 fall of Dhaka through a youth-oriented drama-club narrative.[10]

In 2023, Qureshi directed Jin Mahal, the horror-comedy segment of the anthology film Teri Meri Kahaniyaan.[11] He then directed Na Baligh Afraad (2024), a comedy set in the 1990s and produced by Meerza.[12]

Qureshi's film Zombeid, starring Fahad Mustafa and Mehwish Hayat, was set for release on Eidul Azha 2026. The film is a zombie thriller and was among the Pakistani films scheduled for cinemas on Eid day.[13]

Filmography

Films

Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Film Director Writer Notes
2014 Na Maloom Afraad Yes Yes
2016 Actor in Law Yes Yes Special appearance in the title song "Actor in Law"
2017 Na Maloom Afraad 2 Yes Yes
2018 Load Wedding Yes Yes
2021 Khel Khel Mein Yes Yes
2022 Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad Yes Yes Special appearance in the song "Loota Rey"
2023 Teri Meri Kahaniyaan Yes No Segment: Jin Mahal
2024 Na Baligh Afraad Yes Yes
2026 Zombeid Yes Yes
TBA Fatman † Yes Yes Pre-production postponed in 2020

Frequent collaborators

The following table lists actors who have appeared in three or more feature films directed by Qureshi.

Frequent actor collaborations (3 or more feature films)
Film
Actor
 Na Maloom Afraad
(2014)		 Actor in Law
(2016)		 Na Maloom Afraad 2
(2017)		 Load Wedding
(2018)		 Khel Khel Mein
(2021)		 Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad
(2022)		 Na Baligh Afraad
(2024)		 Zombeid
(2026)		 Total films
Fahad Mustafa Yes Yes Yes Yes Does not appear Yes Yes Yes 7
Mehwish Hayat Yes Yes Does not appear Yes Does not appear Does not appear Does not appear Yes 4
Javed Sheikh Yes Does not appear Yes Does not appear Yes Yes Does not appear Does not appear 4
Mohsin Abbas Haider Yes Does not appear Yes Yes Does not appear Does not appear Does not appear Does not appear 3
Nayyar Ejaz Yes Yes Yes Does not appear Does not appear Yes Does not appear Does not appear 4
Saleem Mairaj Yes Yes Yes Does not appear Does not appear Yes Yes Does not appear 5
Irfan Motiwala Yes Yes Does not appear Does not appear Does not appear Yes Yes Does not appear 4
Ashhad Siddiqui Yes Yes Yes Does not appear Does not appear Does not appear Does not appear Does not appear 3

Television and music videos

Year Title Medium Role Notes
N/a Banana News Network Television Producer Comedy news show
2012 "Beparwah Dhola" Music video Director Song by Mohsin Abbas Haider

Discography

Singles

  • Khamosh Dono (2011)[14]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2015 Lux Style Awards Best Film Director Na Maloom Afraad Won [15]
[16]
Best Original Soundtrack
2017 Best Film Director Actor in Law [17]
2018 Na Maloom Afraad 2 Nominated [18]
2019 Load Wedding [19]
2022 Film of the Year – Viewers' Choice Khel Khel Mein Won [20]
2025 Best Film Director of the Year – Critics' Choice Teri Meri Kahaniyaan Nominated [21]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ghafoor, Usman (28 December 2014). "Film is about story-telling". The News on Sunday. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  2. ↑ Rajani, Laila (27 March 2015). "Na Maloom Afraad". Herald. Dawn. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  3. ↑ "Om Puri to star in Nabeel Qureshi's Actor in Law". Images. Dawn. 10 January 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  4. 1 2 Alavi, Omair (21 February 2017). "Fizza Ali Meerza and Nabeel Qureshi bid farewell to TV after two hit films". Images. Dawn. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  5. ↑ "Udaari and Actor in Law win big at the Lux Style Awards 2017". Images. Dawn. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  6. 1 2 Shabbir, Buraq (3 April 2019). "Nabeel Qureshi, Fahad Mustafa and Mehwish Hayat weigh in on the anti-dowry bill". The News International. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  7. ↑ Bukhari, Siham Basir (23 August 2018). "Load Wedding is a movie you need to watch this Eid and here's why". Images. Dawn. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  8. ↑ "Nabeel Qureshi and Fizza Ali Meerza announce two films for 2020". The News International. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  9. ↑ "Nabeel Qureshi's film 'Fatman' postponed due to the coronavirus". Images. Dawn. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "Much-awaited Khel Khel Mein screened at last". Dawn. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  11. ↑ Salman, Peerzada (4 June 2023). "Trailer for Teri Meri Kahaniyaan launched". Dawn. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Shabbir, Buraq (18 June 2024). "Pakistani flick 'Na Baligh Afraad' channels '90s nostalgia for laughs this Eid". Arab News. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  13. ↑ Salman, Peerzada (27 May 2026). "Zombeid, Psycho and Luv Di Saun set to hit cinemas on Eid day". Dawn. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  14. ↑ Nabeel Qureshi – Khamosh Dono (Official Music Video), Pakium
  15. ↑ "Lux Style Awards 2015 nominees announced". tribune.com.pk. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  16. ↑ "Lux Style Awards 2015: 'Na Maloom Afraad' declared best film, Javaid Sheikh best actor and Ayeza Khan best TV actress". Daily Times. October 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  17. ↑ "WINNER'S LIST AND PICTURES OF 16TH LUX STYLE AWARDS 2017". Lux Style Awards. 24 April 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  18. ↑ "Lux Style Awards 2018: And the nominations are..." The Express Tribune.
  19. ↑ Staff, Images (30 March 2019). "Lux Style Awards 2019 nominations are out!". Images. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  20. ↑ "Winners of the 21st Lux Style Awards". Business Recorder. 28 November 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  21. ↑ "Lux Style Awards 2025: And the nominees are…". The Express Tribune. 7 April 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
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