'Waar' wins big at Pakistani film awards

E-Paper | May 28, 2026

Director Bilal Lashari's action/thriller Waar took home 13 awards at the ARY Film Awards 2014 held in Karachi on a balmy Sunday night.

Celebrities, fans and film crews sweated it out at the 'first ever' Pakistani film awards held out in the open at the DHA Golf Club. The show started an expected two hours late, but sufficiently wowed the audience with what was slated to be the most expensive award show ever held in Pakistan, at a cost of Rs80 million.

With roughly 1,500-2,000 attendees and a 200-foot stage, the awards show celebrated the rebirth of Pakistani cinema with song, dance and cheesy dialogue complete with jibes at India, lauding of the two nation theory and discussions on the lengths of skirts.

Waar came out on top, bagging multiple awards in the technical category, as well as jury's choice best director (Bilal Lashari) and viewer's choice best male supporting actor (Hamza Ali Abbasi). It also featured in best female supporting actor (Meesha Shafi), best villain (Shamoon Abbasi) and the all-important best film, among others.

Just behind with seven awards was Pakistan's 'first' sport film, Mein Houn Shahid Afridi, which bagged three technical awards as well as jury's choice best male actor (Humayun Saeed) and viewer's choice best male debut (Hamza Ali Abbasi). The film also managed to bag awards for best music (Shani & Kami) and best male comic role (Ismail Tara).

Zinda Bhaag earned five awards, including the coveted jury's choice best film award and best female actor (Amna Ilyas — who also captivated the audience with a stunning dance performance), among others from viewer's choice.

A full list of awards and winners is below.

Technical awards

Best action — Dr Hasan Waqas Rana | Waar

Best background music score — Sahir Ali Bhagga | Zinda Bhaag

Best choreography — Main Hoon Shahid Afridi

Best cinematography — Bilal Lashari | Waar

Best dialogue — Vasay Chaudhry | Main Hoon Shahid Afridi

Best editing — Bilal Lashari | Waar

Best story — Zinda Bhaag

Best screenplay — Usman Khalid Butt | Siyaah

Best special effects — Waar

Best makeup — Nabila | Main Hoon Shahid Afridi

Best costume design — Sara Gandapur | Chambaili

Jury's choice

Best film — Zinda Bhaag

Best male actor — Humayun Saeed | Main Hoon Shahid Afridi

Best female actor — Amna Ilyas | Zinda Bhaag

Best director — Bilal Lashari | Waar

Special award for contributions to Pakistan Cinema — Ali Zafar

Lifetime achievement award — Nadeem Baig

Viewer's choice

Best film — Waar

Best male actor — Shaan | Waar

Best female actor — Aisha Khan | Waar

Best director — Bilal Lashari | Waar

Best music — Mein Hun Shahid Afridi

Best male comic role — Ismail Tara | Main Hoon Shahid Afridi

Best male debut — Hamza Ali Abbasi | Main Hoon Shahid Afridi

Best female debut — Aisha Khan | Waar

Best performance in negative role — Shamoon Abbasi | Waar

Best female supporting actor — Meesha Shafi | Waar

Best male supporting actor — Hamza Ali Abbasi | Waar

Best male singer — Rahat Fateh Ali Khan | Zinda Bhaag

Best female singer — Abida Parveen | Ishq Khuda

Best independent film — Josh

Curated moments from AFA14

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Sehrish Kanwal

Apr 28, 2014 02:42pm

Yes Waar deserved to be awarded and recognized as one of the best movies Pakistan ever produced. However, "Special award for contributions to Pakistan Cinema

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malik

Apr 28, 2014 02:49pm

Amina Sheikh and Mahira had a weird clothing on this event. Everything is good except this :) Congratulations to the winners !

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SAbir Ayub Rabbani

Apr 28, 2014 03:17pm

@Sehrish Kanwal Totally agree with you. Ali Zafar has done nothing for our film industry. And he is doing a pathetic work in Indian movies. He should have stuck to his singing and painting. In both he is too good, one has to admit.

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Habib

Apr 28, 2014 03:20pm

@Sehrish Kanwal I think this would be for his contribution in movies Music

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Reader

Apr 28, 2014 04:06pm

Great to see stars, dance, songs, movies, awards & rebirth of Pakistani cinema.

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Ajaya K Dutt

Apr 28, 2014 05:02pm

Congratulation. It is really a Wow; and that also just in 80m Rs. Well done.

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Rogue

Apr 28, 2014 06:00pm

First ever? What were the Nigar Awards held up until the '80s?

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Akram

Apr 28, 2014 06:54pm

I don't normally watch many Pakistani films, I prefer Hollywood, but Waar convinced me to watch more. It was spectacular for a Pakistani film, it changed my view and I believe has shown the Pakistani films industry a new avenue of exporting its product, if they produce a good product.

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amir

Apr 28, 2014 07:02pm

Well, where was the taliban and the mollahs..I mean this cannot happen in pakistan. .women in western dress and hugging non husband's in public...tobah tobah????

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Happy reader

Apr 28, 2014 09:34pm

Nice photos. The women look beautiful! And quite a few are dressed very stylishly too so hats off to them and to the designers. Sanam Baloch, by the way, looked AMAZING too although her photo is not featured here. Anyway Hollywood movies are the best but no harm in promoting the local film industry either.

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Raam

Apr 28, 2014 09:39pm

For giving awards to 3 movies they have spent 80 millions...pathetic

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Youth

Apr 28, 2014 10:08pm

Semi nudity was not essential to look beautiful. Its catching up fast.

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Aamir

Apr 29, 2014 12:23am

It's unfair to call the Ary Film Awards the "first" film awards as the Nigar awards were held from 1958 to 2004 regularly. Without doubt the Ary awards are the biggest and grandest. It's great to see how we are appreciating our own film industry and the film stars. Things are definitely looking up for the film industry with so many quality movies in the pipeline. Can't wait for all these upcoming films.

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Alam

Apr 29, 2014 07:42am

Great to see such a grand event being organized for Pakistani Film. Glad that viewers were given opportunity to vote for their favourite celebrities. Hope to see more of such events keeping our cultural and social values intact.

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Sehrish Kanwal

Apr 29, 2014 02:30pm

@Habib Cinema and music industry are two separate things :)

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gagan sarkar

Apr 30, 2014 04:04pm

I did not know there is a film industry in Pakistan. Good it exists.

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kepler - 8B

May 01, 2014 01:26am

Bilal Lashari, Why WAAR is not being released in Canada.

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