'Parchi' screening in Saudi Arabia proves a hit

The movie was the first Pakistani film to be screened in Saudi Arabia

A jam-packed hall in the Pakistani embassy in Riyadh witnessed the screening of the first Pakistani movie in the Saudi Kingdom. According to Saudi Gazette, Parchi holds the credit of being one of the first international films to be screened in the country after the recent lifting of the ban on cinemas after 35 years.

PHOTO: SAUDI GAZETTE

Over 2,000 people attended the screening which had six consecutive shows. Producer of the movie Imran Raza Kazmi also flew to Riyadh for the premiere, which he attended with the Saudi Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Matab Bin Thenayan Bin Mohammed. The latter showed a deep interest in the initiative and expressed his complete support to the organisers for the event. "It’s a great initiative in accordance with the Saudi Vision 2030 and we assure our full support to strengthen Pak-Saudi relations in the film and entertainment industry," he said.

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Present on the occasion, Pakistani Deputy Head of Mission Dr Bilal Ahmed also spoke about flourishing Pakistani cinema. He said, "The Pakistani film industry is on a revival mode and a series of good films are the result of this renaissance. Parchi is a great example of it. Saudi Arabia is a potential market for Pakistani films and we pledge our support to promote every initiative that can bring up the soft image of Pakistan."

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Kazmi was also very ecstatic on his film being screened in the Saudi capital. He said that he was very happy with Parchi being the first Pakistani film to be officially screened in Saudi Arabia. "The experience of screening our film in Saudi Arabia has been wonderful and the response we have received from the people here is incredible."

PHOTO: SAUDI GAZETTE

Viewers present at the hall also termed Parchi as a good sign of modern Pakistani cinema. "It is about time that we should get back to Pakistani movies as Lollywood is investing its efforts, finance and creativity in movies," said a viewer. Another added, "I love the humour, acting, songs, direction and the cinematography of the Parchi.  Overall, it is a good film that can be compared easily with any other international movie."


Parchi was released in over 100 cinemas all across Pakistan on January 5. Apart from being one of the first international movies to be screened in the Kingdom, Parchi will also be the first Lollywood movie to be released in France.

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