''Sherdil'' (
Urdu
Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
: "Lionheart") is a 2019
Pakistani
Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...
action film produced by NK Pictures. It is written and produced by Nomaan Khan, directed by
Azfar Jafri
Azfar Jafri () is a Pakistani film director, screenwriter, actor, and VFX artist. He is best known for his Independent film
An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film producti ...
, and stars
Mikaal Zulfiqar
Mian Mikaal Patras Zulfiqar (born 5 September 1981), commonly known as Mikaal Zulfiqar (), is a British-Pakistani actor and former model. He has appeared in a number of Pakistani television series. He has also acted in a few Indian films and is ...
,
Hassan Niazi,
Armeena Rana Khan and
Sabeeka Imam
Sabeeka Imam is a British-Pakistani actress and model. She has established a career in modeling and ramp the walk for several designers. Imam appeared in a comedy-drama film ''Queen'' in 2014. She went on to play the romantic interest of the lea ...
. The film revolves around
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...
. It is the
28th highest-grossing Pakistani film. ''Sherdil'' was a commercial success though it received mixed to negative reviews from critics.
Plot
The film opens during the year 1965, where two Pakistani
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...
fighters are doing a CAP (
Combat Air Patrol
Combat air patrol (CAP) is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft. A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, ...
). Squadron Leader Sikandar and his wingman spot three Indian
Folland Gnat
The Folland Gnat is a British compact swept-wing subsonic aircraft, subsonic fighter aircraft that was developed and produced by Folland Aircraft. Envisioned as an affordable light fighter in contrast to the rising cost and size of typical comb ...
fighters flying in Pakistani airspace. The PAF (
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...
) planes engage the IAF (
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...
) fighters. Sikandar shoots down 2 Gnats and then has his weapons get jammed. He then heroically gives up his life and crashes his plane into the final enemy jet to save his wingman.
Fast forward to present day, Haris Mustafa (
Mikaal Zulfiqar
Mian Mikaal Patras Zulfiqar (born 5 September 1981), commonly known as Mikaal Zulfiqar (), is a British-Pakistani actor and former model. He has appeared in a number of Pakistani television series. He has also acted in a few Indian films and is ...
) who is the grandson of Sikandar Mustafa, and his best friend Fawad both dream of becoming fighter pilots. Haris's parents disapprove of his career choice. However, Haris's grandmother, widow of Sikander, is supportive of his ambitions. When Haris is accepted into the PAF academy, his father disowns him. At the academy, Haris and Fawad befriend Harijeet, a Pakistani Sikh. During this time, Haris meets and falls in love with Sabrina (
Armeena Khan).
Haris is then deployed at the same squadron as his late grandfather, the
No. 16 Squadron "Black Panthers".
Two Indian
Mirage 2000
The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a French multirole, single-engine, delta wing, fourth-generation jet fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was designed in the late 1970s as a lightweight fighter to replace the Mirage III for the French ...
's enter the Pakistani airspace and Haris and Irfan are scrambled to intercept them in
JF-17
The CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder (), or FC-1 ''Xiaolong'' (), is a fourth-generation, lightweight, single-engine, multirole combat aircraft developed jointly by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) of China. ...
's. Irfan shoots down one of the Mirages but then has his plane damaged due to the destroyed Mirage's debris and returns to base. Haris then engages in an intense dogfight with the second Mirage, but barely escapes with his life. Haris returns to the base where he learns his grandmother passed away. Although Haris survived the air encounter, his superiors are disappointed that he almost lost the plane and his life. They reluctantly send him to the International Flight School.
At the flight school, he encounters Flight Lieutenant Arun Veerani, the same Mirage 2000 fighter pilot that he had engaged with earlier. Haris and Arun are initially very hostile to each other, but end up becoming friends.
Haris returns and proposes to Sabrina. She agrees to marry him, but only if he remains with the PAF, as she realizes that she cannot let him give up his dream and passion for serving his country. Their honeymoon is cut short when political tensions once again arise between India and Pakistan, with the Indian armed forces threatening to perform surgical strikes along the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir area. Sabrina is horrified at the risk that Haris's life will be in, but he states that he must do what is required of him, to which she then gives him her full support.
Haris and Irfan are sent on a CAP, when they encounter several Indian Mirage-2000's. One Mirage is shot down and another is damaged and leaves the area. During the ensuing fight, Haris comes face to face with a Mirage flown by Arun. Haris hesitates to shoot Arun due to their friendship, and then hears a distress call from his wingman Irfan, who is now being shot at by another Mirage. Haris spares Arun, telling him to leave the area and flies towards Irfan, but is too late. Irfan is shot down by the Mirage and Haris in turn shoots the Mirage down. Arun then returns who tells Haris that this decision is "out of his hands" and tries to shoot Haris down. Haris comes up behind him, says "Sorry my friend" and shoots Arun's plane down. Upon his return, Haris is greeted by all the PAF ground personnel and his superiors and finds that Irfan has survived as well. To his surprise, his father is there to receive him too and is very proud of the way his son defended his country. Arun is then shown at the end of the film, survived by having ejected and now stranded in Pakistan territory.
Cast
*
Mikaal Zulfiqar
Mian Mikaal Patras Zulfiqar (born 5 September 1981), commonly known as Mikaal Zulfiqar (), is a British-Pakistani actor and former model. He has appeared in a number of Pakistani television series. He has also acted in a few Indian films and is ...
as
Flt Lt Harris Mustafa
*
Hassan Niazi as Flt Lt Arun Verani
*
Armeena Khan as Sabrina Harris Mustafa
*
Sabeeka Imam
Sabeeka Imam is a British-Pakistani actress and model. She has established a career in modeling and ramp the walk for several designers. Imam appeared in a comedy-drama film ''Queen'' in 2014. She went on to play the romantic interest of the lea ...
as Sarah Francis, Arun's fiancée
*
Samina Ahmad
Samina Ahmad (born 20 March 1950) is a Pakistani film and television actress, stage performer, producer, and director. She is one of the most popular actresses of her time and was one of the most successful actresses of the 1970s, 1980s, and 19 ...
as Harris's grandmother
*
Laila Zuberi
Laila Zuberi (born 18 August 1957) is a Pakistani TV actress who has worked in many Pakistani drama series and has also appeared in the 2016 film '' Teri Meri Love Story''. She was one of the most popular actress of her time and was one of the ...
as Harris's mother
Release
The film was released on 22 March 2019.
Home media
The film had a television premier on
Eid al-Adha
Eid al-Adha () is the second of the two main festivals in Islam alongside Eid al-Fitr. It falls on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijja, the twelfth and final month of the Islamic calendar. Celebrations and observances are generally carried forward to the ...
, on 3 August 2020, on
ARY Digital
''ARY Digital HD'' () is a Pakistani television network available in Pakistan. ARY Digital was founded by a Dubai-based holding company Pakistani businessman, Abdul Razzak Yaqoob and Salman Iqbal (ARY). The network is focused towards on Pak ...
.
Reception
Box office
''Sherdil'' collected around 11.5 million on the first day, adding 17 million and 13 million on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, reaching up to 41.5 million by the end of opening weekend. After 17 days it collected 95.0 million. , the film has collected 115.3 million locally and 19.75 million from overseas for a total of 126.1 million worldwide.
[
]
Critical response
Azfar Jafri of Galaxy Lollywood gave the film 2.5/5 star. While criticizing the poor writing and direction of the film, he praised the visuals and action sequences.
Rahul Aijaz of Express Tribune rated it 1/5 stars and commented ''"''Sherdil simply lacks emotion from beginning to end. You might walk in to the cinema hall excited but you’ll walk out indifferent".
Soundtrack
The music of the film is composed by Soch (band).
Sequel
On 29 October 2019, Dawn News
Dawn News HD is a Pakistani 24-hour Urdu news channel. Based in Karachi, the station is a subsidiary of Pakistan Herald Publications Limited (PHPL), Pakistan's largest English-language media group.
The test transmission of the station occurr ...
reported that writer and producer Noman Khan has confirmed a sequel is in the works. According to Khan, the sequel will have an all-new cast.
See also
* ''Sher Dil'' (Pakistani film)
* List of Pakistani films of 2019
This is a list of Cinema of Pakistan, Pakistani films released in 2019.
Highest grossing films
The top films released in 2019 by worldwide gross are as follows:
:''Background color indicates the current releases''
Events
Award ceremonies ...
References
External links
*{{IMDb title, 9129166
2019 films
Lollywood films
2010s action war films
Pakistani action war films
2010s Urdu-language films
Military of Pakistan in films
Films based on Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts
Indian Air Force in films
Films directed by Azfar Jafri
Urdu-language Pakistani films