LAHORE: The tenuous relationship that exists among filmmakers, film stars and film exhibitors came under scrutiny in the wake of Veena Malik’s recent interview. Malik stated that an entertainer has the right to go anywhere in the world for work and he or she represents just the entertainment industry, not the whole country.
The film industry has been divided into two groups; one consisting of filmmakers who believe that Pakistani artistes are not treated with respect in India and would do better work in Pakistan while the second group is made up of artistes who believe that when there are no films being made in Pakistan it is unfair to expect actors to sit idle.
Additionally, the debate as to whether Indian films should be screened in Pakistani cinemas has become a hot topic yet again.
While filmmakers and film stars are debating the subject of screening Indian films in Pakistan, film exhibitors and cinema owners have an entirely different account. They believe that cinema houses have started doing business after the screening of Indian films has been allowed in Pakistan.
As per official figures, a cinema house requires some 40 to 45 films a year to run while the number of total Pakistani films released in 2010 is 12. Additionally only three of these films were Urdu films while the others were Punjabi productions which are often not screened outside of Punjab.
Pakistan Film Exhibitors Association Chairman Zoraiz Lashari believes that Indian films have helped to save cinemas in Pakistan and exhibitors and distributors would never have thought to import and buy Indian films if Pakistani films were being made.
“Either we shut the cinema houses or keep up the current practice. We welcome good Pakistani films but cable has changed things and technology has done wonders. Our filmmakers should realise this and make good films instead of lobbying to get Indian films banned,” he said.
United Film Association of Pakistan Chairman Mian Amjad Farzand has a different opinion, “In a recent meeting with the Ministry of Culture we have asked them to make a policy regarding the screening of Indian films. We have been shouting this out for years now and the screening of Indian films should have some sort of equal footing.”
When asked how the Pakistani government could allow an equal number of Pakistani and Indian films when there were no Pakistani movies available, Farzand replied, “This is the point. Who will watch our films when Indian films are being screened in cinemas? We make a film in Rs10 million and they make one in Rs100 million. There is no point in competing with them. What benefits has our government given to film industry so far? Where is the digital laboratory and where are the promised funds? When is the policy which states that Indian films cannot be screened for 14 days after a Pakistani film gets released being implemented? The government has to think about if they want Lollywood to live or not and then make a strategy and settle the things or just shut everything down.”
Senior film critic Zahid Akasi, who has authored several book on Lollywood said, “It is true that we cannot compete with India when it comes to Urdu films but our Punjabi films were way ahead of their Punjabi films and used to have a market in India. However, we still couldn’t sustain a market there for our Punjabi films. There is a need to sit together, make a plan and think about what has to be done but there isn’t any platform where our filmmakers, film stars, distributors and cinema owners can sit and discuss their problems.”
Farzand believes that if Pakistani artistes work in India they should do it with dignity. “I don’t oppose Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. There is a way to go about and things shouldn’t be done just for the sake of staying in Bollywood,” he maintained.
Currently, there are many Pakistani film stars including Mona Liza, Meera, Veena Malik, Ali Zafar and Atif Aslam who are working or looking forward to working in India.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 25th, 2011.
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