Pakistani film ‘Mera Lyari’ is seeking to challenge decades of negative stereotypes surrounding Karachi’s historic Lyari neighbourhood. It is a film focusing on Liyari’s football culture, multicultural identity and strong sense of community.
At a promotional event held in Karachi ahead of the film’s May 9 release, actor Ayesha Omar said her understanding of the area changed after her experience of filming in Lyari, which was always associated in public discourse with gang violence, political unrest and poverty.
“I never felt fear in Lyari,” Omar told attendees during a special meet-and-greet session. “Media and public perception had created a very different image of Lyari. Reality turned out to be much better.”
The actor revealed that she spent months travelling regularly to the neighbourhood during filming and did so without security.
“I did not even keep security with me,” she said, describing local residents as “extremely loving and full of life”.
Lyari, one of Karachi’s oldest localities, has historically produced football talent and remains deeply connected to the sport. The film incorporates that sporting culture into its storyline, with real young football players from the area appearing in several scenes.
Producer Waqar Rizvi said Lyari currently has 36 football grounds, with girls using them in the mornings and boys playing in the evenings.
He added that authorities were planning to build three more football stadiums in the area.
Filming through Karachi’s harsh summer
Omar said the production faced difficult conditions during filming, which began in May and continued until July during Karachi’s intense summer heat.
“The shooting was done in severe heat, which made it very difficult to continue working,” she said.
Despite the challenges, the actor expressed excitement about the film’s release and praised the Sindh government for supporting the project through grants and institutional backing.
“The government did not create any obstacles,” she said, adding that provincial departments also helped promote the film through social media campaigns.
Omar also disclosed that the project initially carried a different title.
According to her, the film was originally called “Behnaz” before later being renamed “Mera Lyari”.
The actor said the movie offered a far more realistic portrayal of communities like Lyari than many mainstream productions.
Referring indirectly to an Indian film, Omar said she once watched a movie depicting similar communities but found it “so unrealistic” that she stopped watching halfway through.
By contrast, she said “Mera Lyari” allowed her to experience “the real life and people of Lyari” firsthand.
Dananeer calls film ‘multilayered’
Earlier this week, actor Dananeer Mobeen attended a screening of the film at the UK Asian Film Festival in London.
She rejected suggestions that the project was designed as a response to the Indian movie “Dhurandhar”.
“It’s a disservice to boil this movie down to a response to another film,” she told reporters.
“The core and crux of this movie is so special. We have explored Lyari, football culture, female football culture, women in sports, South Asian women in sports.”
Dananeer urged audiences to view the film holistically instead of reducing it to a single narrative.
“It’s a beautiful film. It was a beautiful image of Lyari,” she said.
