Bakhtiar, who is reportedly leading a delegation of Pakistani officials and filmmakers at the South Asian Film Festival underway in Goa, was quoted by IANS as saying, “We recently formed a task force to revive Pakistani cinema in which we have leading filmmakers as members. If they come to India, it would have a good impact on our industry and future relations of both the countries.”
Bakhtiar also said she would be lining up meetings for the 16-member task force with top Bollywood personalities.
Ironically, Pakistani filmmakers managed to delay the release of Indian films this Eid so that their films would not face any competition from the glitzy productions imported from across the border.
Filmmakers and ministry of culture officials claimed to be in the dark about any such task force. Filmmakers further questioned the credibility of the delegation led by Bakhtiar, stating that all prominent directors and producers were currently in Pakistan.
Filmmakers also termed Bakhtiar’s proposal of Indo-Pak joint productions as unworkable saying that fee of an Indian actor was more than the budget of five Pakistani films.
Producer and scriptwriter Rukhsana Noor said that Nilofar Bakhtiar was unaware about the problems of filmmakers. “What is the need for spending millions of rupees on such useless delegations when the entire country has been hit by the worst floods in our history? Indo-Pak joint productions are not feasible due to the disparity in the budgets of the two industries. As far as the training of the filmmakers is concerned, she should have first compiled a database of technicians like cameraman, production crew members etc. They should be trained. We don’t build a digital laboratory and spend millions on such tours. It’s a pity. Where is the grant of Rs50 million promised by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to help the film industry? Nobody knows,” she said.
Sangeeta was as clueless. “Which filmmakers? We are here. Nobody even talked to us about the festival or the delegation,” she maintained.
However, Indo-Pak joint productions such as Virsa have been successfully made and released in Pakistan. Bakhtiar also raised the issue of training, and told the Indian press, “Indian cinema is extremely advanced and we want Indian filmmakers to work with us. We also want training opportunities for our actors and directors in India.”
She also spoke about the market for Punjabi films.
“We would like Pakistani films to be screened in India, especially our Punjabi (films). Our cinema is no competition to Indian cinema. But we would expect that if we have this exchange more frequently, it will pave the way for future friendship and peace in the region.”
United Film Association Chairman Amjad Farzand said that they would ask about the task force once Nilofar Bakhtiar returns. “She must have given just a statement there. No such task force exists or at least we are not aware of it. She is leading a delegation of filmmakers but we don’t even know about her tour,” he maintained.
With additional information from IANS
Published in The Express Tribune, September 21st, 2010.
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