Bali Jatti: The Punjabi Theatre Legend Coming to the Big Screen

For nearly three decades, Bali Jatti captivated audiences at festival stages across Punjab, performing before large crowds in a theatre industry dominated by men.

Known for her powerful voice, bold stage presence, and ability to perform both male and female roles, she became one of the most recognised women in Punjabi folk theatre. Yet much of her life and contribution remained outside mainstream public attention.

Now, Lahore-based theatre group Ajoka is bringing her story to cinema through its upcoming feature film. The project aims to revisit the life of a performer who challenged social expectations and built a career in a demanding cultural industry.

From Chak Parana to the Theatre Stage

Much of the documented account of Bali Jatti’s life comes from Dr Fouzia Saeed’s book Forgotten Faces: Daring Women of Pakistan’s Folk Theatre (Lok Virsa, 2011). Saeed met Bali in Lahore’s Shahnoor area, where she lived in a small house built with the money she had earned from theatre. Over several months, Saeed visited her regularly and recorded her experiences and memories.

Bali was born in Chak Parana, a village near Lala Musa in Jhelum District. She was the daughter of a wealthy village revenue collector. As a young woman, she left home for Lahore with the man she later married. Her entry into theatre began with a modest role as a servant in a play based on William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, for which she earned 16 rupees a night. Within a few years, she moved to a better-paying theatre, where her nightly earnings increased to 50 rupees.

A Woman Who Competed With Men

According to Forgotten Faces, Bali remained a leading performer for nearly three decades in a male-dominated theatre industry. She played female leads but also performed male roles, including Ranjha in Heer Ranjha, thanks to her deep voice. Audiences called her Babbar Sherni (the lioness), while her use of a whip on stage earned her the nickname Hunter Wali.

During the 1960s and 1970s, she became one of Punjab’s prominent folk performers alongside Alam Lohar and Inayat Hussain Bhatti. Bali and Alam often competed at festivals, singing against each other until dawn. Despite their professional rivalry, Alam treated her as a sister, and his children called her phupho. On one occasion, when summoned to court after a festival incident, Bali reportedly told the magistrate that she was ‘the magistrate of the stage’.

Building Her Own Theatre

Bali’s most significant professional achievement was establishing Shama Theatre, which Forgotten Faces describes as Pakistan’s first woman-owned theatre company. It operated for 12 years. She personally helped workers set up and dismantle the theatre and maintained strict rules against gambling and drinking during performances.

However, maintaining the theatre and her professional standing came at a financial cost. Her career began to decline after the late 1970s, when losses from an unsuccessful festival left her in debt. Cataracts eventually affected her eyesight. Before this period, she had also appeared in the Punjabi film Mangetar, which the book identifies as her only film appearance.

Bringing Bali Jatti’s Story to Cinema

Ajoka has announced its first feature film based on Bali Jatti’s life. The announcement was made at a ceremony in Lahore attended by the film’s writer and director, Shahid Nadeem, author and researcher Dr Fouzia Saeed, and folk singer Arif Lohar. The filmmakers unveiled the film’s logo, teaser, and a song.

Ajoka founder and Executive Director Shahid Nadeem is serving as the film’s writer, researcher, and director. Set in 1970s Punjab, the film will explore Bali’s rise despite family and social opposition, along with her artistic struggles, personal relationships, and professional rivalries. Casting is under way, and filming is planned in and around Lahore, with completion targeted for March. The film is expected to reach Pakistani cinemas before an international release and distribution through streaming platforms.

For Ajoka, a Lahore-based theatre company known for presenting socially relevant stories, the project marks its first feature film. It also brings together people connected to Bali’s legacy, including Dr Saeed, whose book documents her life, and Arif Lohar, whose father, Alam Lohar, shared a long professional association with the performer.

Cultural Support and the Punjab Film City Initiative

The film is also being announced at a time when Punjab is introducing new initiatives to support its film and performing arts sectors. The Punjab Film City Authority Bill 2026, passed by the Punjab Assembly on 29 April, provides for an authority to oversee film, television, and documentary production through licensing and one-window approvals.

The provincial government's 2026-27 budget also includes Rs55 billion for a proposed Film City, a Film School, a Theatre Revival Programme with Alhamra, and increased financial assistance for artists. However, there is no verified information that Ajoka has applied for or received government funding for the Bali Jatti film.

In essence, Bali Jatti’s story extends beyond her performances. From entering theatre with a modest role to establishing her own company and competing with leading male performers, she built a place for herself in Punjab’s folk culture. Ajoka’s upcoming film offers an opportunity to bring that history to a wider audience and recognise a performer whose contribution deserves greater attention.

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