Babrik Shah Stirs Controversy with his Comments on Fawad Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi’s Punjabi Accent
“Maula Jatt was a masterpiece of its time, a true classic that stood the test of time. It should never have been remade," he said
Actor Babrik Shah has sparked a new controversy with his candid thoughts on Fawad Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi’s Punjabi accent in ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’.
In a recent interview, Babrik Shah, known for his strong opinions and outspoken nature, critiqued the performances of Khan and Abbasi, particularly focusing on their attempts at the Punjabi dialect. “While the film was visually stunning and had powerful performances, the authenticity of the Punjabi accent was lacking. Fawad and Hamza are brilliant actors, but their accents felt forced and not true to the region they were representing,” Shah stated.
Host Junaid Saleem asked, “I was reading your statement in an interview, where you said about Maula Jatt that Hamza Ali Abbasi and Fawad Khan are like a ‘burger family’ and that Maula Jatt and Noori Natt are not like that.”
Shah replied, “They are a burger family, now, just imagine a guy from a burger family trying to speak Punjabi. Where will he even get that deep, commanding voice like Noori Natt? And then there’s Sultan Rahi, he had that manly vibe, that power in his delivery, which is just not there anymore. It doesn’t have that same feeling. And the way they’re speaking Punjabi nowadays, it’s like they’ve just learned it or someone taught them how to speak it. That’s why I said it had a very ‘mummy daddy’ style, lacking that true masculine essence.”
“Maula Jatt was a masterpiece of its time, a true classic that stood the test of time. It should never have been remade,” he added.
His remarks quickly made waves on social media, with many fans defending the actors, arguing that their performances were commendable and captured the essence of their characters despite any linguistic imperfections. However, others supported Shah’s view, agreeing that the Punjabi dialect is crucial to the film’s authenticity and should have been given more attention.
The Legend of Maula Jatt, directed by Bilal Lashari, has been celebrated for its revival of the classic Punjabi cinema and for bringing a new level of cinematic experience to Pakistani audiences. Despite the controversy, the film continues to be a cultural phenomenon, with its impact felt across the Pakistani film industry.
