Dawn Images

Nice guys finish last, or at least that’s what the first trailer of Bilal Atif Khan’s latest slapstick comedy, Aag Lagay Basti Mein, seems to be hinting at in its first trailer, released on Monday.

The film, which releases on Eidul Fitr, stars Fahad Mustafa and Mahira Khan in the lead roles as Barkat, an honest, hard-working man who just can’t catch a break, and Almaas, his wife who has had enough of his goody two shoes approach to life.

Initially employed as cleaners, the two turn to petty crime in an effort to improve their lives — clearly, Almaas’ idea. The stakes clearly don’t stay small for long, with bigger criminals getting involved soon after.

In the supporting cast, veteran actor Javed Sheikh plays a crime boss alongside comedian Tabish Hashmi, who appears to be the film’s big bad wolf of a villain. Shehzaadi Samra — the face of the “accha jee, aisa hai kya” meme — also makes a cameo.

The trailer has generous helpings of guns, cars and jokes, with a touch of Barkat and Almaas’ domestic life to tie everything together. We also see Mustafa in a torn-up prison jumpsuit in one scene, hinting that a life of crime might not have panned out well for his character.

The film’s teaser, released earlier in January, made similar promises of crisis, confusion and chaos. It also referenced the ancient fable of the goose that laid golden eggs, hinting that the problem might be the characters biting off a little more than they can chew.

This cast — with the exception of Hashmi — last worked together on Quaid e Azam Zindabad, and Mustafa and Sheikh were also co-stars in the widely popular Na Maloom Afraad films. Much like both of those crime capers, Aag Lagay Basti Mein has hijinks galore and the essence of Karachi in its DNA.