Faiza Khan questions why Pakistani films rarely revive classic local songs

Islamabad: Actor and host Faiza Khan has questioned why Pakistani filmmakers do not make greater use of older Pakistani songs in films, saying Indian cinema has repeatedly revisited classic music while local productions have not followed the same path.

In a recent conversation, Khan said she had been thinking about how Bollywood has often brought back older songs and reintroduced them to newer audiences. She said Pakistani cinema, despite having a rich musical legacy, has not done the same on a comparable scale.

Khan pointed to the strength of Pakistan’s older music catalogue and said there is no shortage of memorable songs that could be adapted or reinterpreted for contemporary films. Her remarks centred on the idea that classic Pakistani tracks remain underused, even though they continue to hold cultural and emotional value for audiences.

She contrasted this with the Indian film industry’s practice of reworking older songs, which she suggested has helped preserve and popularise musical heritage among younger listeners. Her comments reflected both appreciation for Pakistan’s past musical output and frustration that it is not being incorporated more often into present-day cinema.

Khan’s remarks also touched on the broader relationship between film and music in Pakistan. She indicated that older songs are part of the country’s artistic history and could serve as a bridge between generations if filmmakers chose to revisit them in new productions.

Call to revisit musical heritage

The actor’s comments come amid continuing discussion about the direction of Pakistani entertainment and the ways in which local industries can draw on their own archives. By raising the issue, Khan highlighted what she sees as a missed opportunity for filmmakers to reconnect audiences with songs that were once widely loved.

Her observation was not framed as criticism of the songs themselves, but rather of the lack of effort to bring them back into mainstream film culture. She suggested that Pakistan already has the material needed to do this successfully, given the depth of its musical tradition.

Faiza Khan wants to know why Pakistani films don’t use old Pakistani songs when Bollywood does

The report presented her comments as part of a wider cultural conversation about originality, nostalgia and the reuse of classic material in entertainment. While Bollywood has frequently turned to older songs for remakes and reinterpretations, Pakistani films have not made similar use of their own back catalogue.

Khan’s remarks effectively raised a question about cultural preservation through cinema: if older songs continue to resonate, why are they not being given a second life on the big screen? Her comments underscored the view that Pakistan’s film industry has access to a valuable musical inheritance that remains largely untapped.