Nabeel Qureshi (; 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.
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. 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.
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. 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. 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. The film became the highest-grossing Pakistani film of 2016. Qureshi and Meerza have described their working arrangement as a collaborative script-development process, with Meerza producing and Qureshi directing. At the 16th Lux Style Awards, Actor in Law won Best Film and Qureshi won Best Film Director.
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. 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.
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. 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.
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.
In 2023, Qureshi directed Jin Mahal, the horror-comedy segment of the anthology film Teri Meri Kahaniyaan. He then directed Na Baligh Afraad (2024), a comedy set in the 1990s and produced by Meerza.
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.
Filmography
Films + Key Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Film Director Writer Notes 2014 Na Maloom Afraad 2016 Actor in Law Special appearance in the title song "Actor in Law" 2017 Na Maloom Afraad 2 2018 Load Wedding 2021 Khel Khel Mein 2022 Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad Special appearance in the song "Loota Rey" 2023 Teri Meri Kahaniyaan Segment: Jin Mahal 2024 Na Baligh Afraad 2026 Zombeid Fatman Pre-production postponed in 2020
Frequent collaborators The following table lists actors who have appeared in three or more feature films directed by Qureshi.
+ scope="col" 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 7 Mehwish Hayat 4 Javed Sheikh 4 Mohsin Abbas Haider 3 Nayyar Ejaz 4 Saleem Mairaj 5 Irfan Motiwala 4 Ashhad Siddiqui 3
Television and music videos Year Title Medium Role Notes Banana News Network Television Producer Comedy news show 2012 "Beparwah Dhola" Music video Director Song by Mohsin Abbas Haider
Discography
Singles
Khamosh Dono (2011)Nabeel Qureshi – Khamosh Dono (Official Music Video), Pakium
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result 2015 Lux Style Awards Best Film Director Na Maloom Afraad rowspan="3" Best Original Soundtrack 2017 Best Film Director Actor in Law 2018 Na Maloom Afraad 2 rowspan="2" 2019 Load Wedding 2022 Film of the Year – Viewers' Choice Khel Khel Mein 2025 Best Film Director of the Year – Critics' Choice Teri Meri Kahaniyaan
See also List of film directors List of Pakistani television directors
References
External links