The much awaited Lollywood flick Khuda Kay Liye (In The Name of God), directed by Shoaib Mansoor, premiered on Sunday night at Karachi's Prince Cinema.

The film, starring Shaan, Iman Ali and Fawad Khan and veteran Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah, is Geo Films' project aimed at reviving Pakistan's ailing film industry. It will open in all theaters of Pakistan on July 20.

An amazing mix of people came to watch the screening, including media professionals, artists, doctors, teachers, designers, Ulema, and even housewives among others. Among the celebrities present at the premiere were included Javed Sheikh, Bushra Ansari, Behroze Sabzwari, Shakeel, Tapu Javeri, Saqib Malik, Deepak Perwani, Sonya Battla.

The musicians were also there in full force. Rohail Hyatt — who's mixed the background score— Ali Azmat, Salman Ahmed and Faakhir were just some of the most prominent musicians present.

The hall was packed to its capacity of 700. The cheering began as soon as the credits started rolling. It just showed how much people wanted to see a film that is made by one of them, about them and for them. Khuda Kay Liye is all this and more.

The film is about two brothers who are pop musicians in Lahore, one of whom gets radicalized under the influence of extremists, while the other goes to America and gets unlawfully detained after 9/11. It is the story of Mary (Maryam), a British girl of Pakistani origin, who is brought to Pakistan by her father and married off against her will.

Khuda Kay Liye is a film all Pakistanis can relate to. According to The News, there were moments of magic in the film, lines that were said, scenes that were set up that touched the audience so much that they burst into spontaneous applause. When Imran Aslam, President of the Geo Television Network, called Shoaib Mansoor on stage to take a bow at the end, he received a raucous standing ovation.

Pop star Salman Ahmed said, "This movie reminded me that love always brings you to the right path. You can't force ideology." Ali Azmat predicted that this film "would change Pakistan."