Ismail Jilani

Ismail Jilani is a Pakistani director, media activist, documentary filmmaker and former Pakistani Army officer. Ismail Jilani was born in Karachi. Syed Iqbal Shah, his father, was also a filmmaker who created the first Pakistani animated film in 1960. Jilani attended Junior Cadets Academy Mangla before enrolling at Pakistan Military Academy, where he earned a double bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics. The Academy of Photogenic Arts in Sydney, Australia, then awarded him a certificate in film and video production. Ismail Jilani has directed and edited various television programs, including magazine/reality shows, dramas, documentaries, advertisements, and broadcast campaigns. His most popular show as a director, cameraman, and editor was George Ka Pakistan, which aired on Geo TV. It is a show about British journalist George Fulton, who spent nine years in Pakistan.

The show is regarded as South Asia's first original reality show, setting new popularity benchmarks for satellite viewing in Pakistan and the Pakistani diaspora overseas. Ismail launched Zara Sochiye, a campaign series that captured the public's attention and charted the way for media activism in Pakistan, on the taboo issue of the Hudood Ordinance. This campaign is considered in current media history as one of Pakistan's largest print and television campaigns, ultimately leading to revisions to the Hudood rules being submitted in the parliament through legislative. Jilani also produced a documentary about bonded labor, which was nominated for an International Media Excellence Award in 2009. Ismail has directed, executive produced, and edited several programs and episodes for Indus Vision, Geo TV, and ARY Digital Network.

Ismail Jilani began working on Shahzad Nawaz's script in 2011, and it took half a year to finish the screenplay process. The film’s production began in 2012, and the movie was released on April 26, 2013, under the banner of Geo Films. At the box office, Chambailli earned Rs 37.8 crore. At the Pakistani box office, the film outperformed Bollywood movie Aashiqui 2 and Hollywood movie Oblivion. It was covered in the national media and commended for its contribution to Pakistani democracy. Chambaili has been credited with inspiring non-voters and young to vote in Pakistan's general elections in 2013, which had a high turnout. During campaign rallies, political parties in the country played songs from the film's soundtrack, as young people reacted to the film and its soundtrack as part of heightened social and political involvement.