Pakistani cinemagoers were gripped with excitement when the announcement of a local adaptation of the highly-acclaimed Spanish thriller Money Heist (La Casa De Papel) made headlines earlier this year. Titled 50 Crore, the project seemed even more enticing following the reveal of its star-studded cast of actors Faisal Qureshi, Ijaz Aslam, Saboor Aly, Zhalay Sarhadi, Faryal Mahmood, Asad Siddiqui, Naveed Raza, Mehmood Aslam, Noman Habib, Anoushey Abbasi and Umer Shehzad. However, in a surprising turn of events, the first teaser for 50 Crore is now breaking the internet for all the wrong reasons. The film’s cast recently did a Money Heist-inspired photoshoot, which is now being called out by social media users for being an unashamed replica of the Netflix series.
This past weekend, a string of images of the Pakistani A-listers went viral on social media. The photoshoot involved mugshots of the celebrities, with each of them named after a city in Pakistan, including Raza as Lalamusa, Aly as Sahiwal, Sarhadi as Mianwali and Aslam as Rahim Yar Khan, among many others. Not only this but their orange outfits, makeup and hair also caught the attention of the Twitterati, who are now creating memes, jokes and writing all sorts of posts on the micro-blogging site.
Money heist♥️ Money waste💩#MoneyHeist #50Crore pic.twitter.com/7gmJAe6SNX
— Tahreem🌸 (@tweetsbytahreem) October 18, 2020
how did the cast of 50 CrOre even agreed do it…. they are gonna embrass themselves…
— Aiman Shamim (@jerriee293) October 18, 2020
Another Pandemic is going to release.😓#desiMoneyHeist#50Crore
— S A M R E E N. (@Samreen_hun_Yar) October 18, 2020
Money Heist in parallel universe 😂 pic.twitter.com/qmZQvpfP9M
— Malaika Amir (@scoobycutee) October 18, 2020
*money heist left the chat* pic.twitter.com/LFBSJQe34R
— Ali Saldera (@AliRayyanKhan1) October 18, 2020
I think I downloaded the wrong Money Heist (la casa de papel) pic.twitter.com/X6MKaqVZM1
— Mahnoor Azhar (@MahwithoutNoor) October 18, 2020
A handful of users were completely against the idea of Pakistani Money Heist. One user wrote, “Money Heist & Money Waste,” referring to 50 Crore as the latter. “How did the cast of 50 Crore even agree to do it. They are going to embarrass themselves,” added another. Going a bit extreme, netizens also compared the upcoming project to a pandemic! A post read, “Another Pandemic is going to release #DesiMoneyHeist#50Crore.”
I dont get why there's so much hate for 50 crore, atleast theyre making something out of the saas bahu shadi talaaq genre, who cares if its a copy?
— J (@afolkwhore) October 18, 2020
The criticism on the pakistani money heist knock off is a bit unfair.
You start from somewhere, even if it means creating cheap knockoffs. If that is what it takes to move on from the typical toxic saas bahu malarkey, I'm all for it.— ΛＨＭΞＤ (@ElCastillo__) October 18, 2020
Others however were willing to give 50 Crore a chance. They lauded the team for exploring something out-of-the-box, unlike the usual saas bahu dramas. “I dont get why there’s so much hate for 50 Crore, at least they’re making something out of the saas bahu, shadi talaaq genre, who cares if it’s a copy?” penned a user, while another thought it was unfair to pick on a project even before its release. “The criticism on the Pakistani Money Heist knock off is a bit unfair. You start from somewhere, even if it means creating cheap knockoffs. If that is what it takes to move on from the typical toxic saas bahu malarkey, I’m all for it.”
Wait so let me get this straight, you will ban Churails, an original show that was made by Pakistanis (which was pretty decent btw) but will make a desi cringe version of Money Heist??? What
— maham (@bussbohathogaya) October 18, 2020
Remember how Pakistani actors got mad over the Turkish shows being shown here. Now they are not only copying the theme of Money heist but also copying the names and characters. Embarrassment level 101.
— Rabia Bro (@rabiaaaaa98) October 18, 2020
The makers of 50 Crore are also being slammed by some for outright plagiarism. “Wait so let me get this straight, you will ban Churails, an original show that was made by Pakistanis (which was pretty decent btw) but will make a desi cringe version of Money Heist??? What,” stated a user. Echoing her sentiments, another noted, “Remember how Pakistani actors got mad over the Turkish shows being shown here. Now they are not only copying the theme of Money heist but also copying the names and characters. Embarrassment level 101.”
Pakistani Money Heist walay HBL head office teen talwar per operation karien gein
— Zain (@zainnadeemm) October 18, 2020
LMAO WHAT? ARE THEY GOING TO ROB THE BANK OF PUNJAB💀😭 pic.twitter.com/XQlQXeiR1r
— esha (@whatesha) October 18, 2020
Money heist Pakistan walay bank main jayenge aur wahan jummah break chal rahi hogi
— zohair (@shayadzohair) October 18, 2020
If Aamir liaquat does not play the role of Arturo in Pakistani money heist #50crore i'am not gonna watch it. pic.twitter.com/8En0PmgRuN
— Afshan Tayyab (@QueenAfshan) October 19, 2020
I'd watch Pakistani money heist if it had Zardari and Nawaz Sharif as the main casts members
— AL (@sleepyalmak) October 19, 2020
Zaid Ali T bought his wife a car and the internet is losing it
There were some casting suggestions too! Not only this but some also wondered and placed bets on which bank will be robbed by the 50 Crore cast. “Pakistani Money Heist walay HBL head office teen talwar per operation karien gein,” read a post, while another user sarcastically inquired, “LMAO WHAT? ARE THEY GOING TO ROB THE BANK OF PUNJAB?” One more post stated, “Money heist Pakistan walay bank main jayenge aur wahan jummah break chal rahi hogi.” On another note, a user suggested Amir Liaqat to join the cast. LOL! “If Aamir liaquat does not play the role of Arturo in Pakistani money heist #50crore i’am not gonna watch it,” wrote a Money Heist fan, while sharing a collage of the two personalities. Throwing shade at Pakistan’s political landscape, a tweet read, “I’d watch Pakistani money heist if it had Zardari and Nawaz Sharif as the main casts members.”
