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Pakistan plumps for Bollywood's Taj Mahal

B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD: The Akbar Khan-directed movie, Taj Mahal, became the second Indian film to be released in Pakistan in 41 years when it premiered in Lahore on Wednesday. Hundreds of jubilant fans thronged the theatre.

Mughal-e-Azam was the first film to be permitted for screening by the Government after the 1965 war. Sohni Mahiwal is the other film that can be screened in Pakistan. The three films have been allowed as a "one-time exception" by the Pakistan Cultural Ministry despite the demand by local cinema hall owners and the film industry for lifting the ban on showing Indian films.

The ban was imposed after the 1965 war, and the Government has been reluctant to lift it despite innumerable representations from various quarters. A section of the entertainment industry has argued that allowing Indian films to be screened would not only boost theatres but also the entertainment industry. However, the Government has taken the stand that this would adversely affect the local industry. Besides, conservative elements in the establishment have opposed screening of Indian films on the ground that they would have a "negative influence on the cultural ethos of the country."

Critics argue that there is no merit in the decision especially when pirated CDs and VCDs of Indian films are freely available. India is hoping to utilise the space provided by the Government's decision to allow screening of the three films to open up the Pakistan market for Bollywood films and enhance cultural ties between the two countries.

It is with this objective that New Delhi has sent Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Ambika Soni to attend the Pakistan premiere of Taj Mahal. "We, in India, like to see Pakistani plays and people in Pakistan like to see Indian films.

Ms. Soni arrived in Lahore with a delegation from Bollywood. She brought a letter from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. The Bollywood delegation included Mahesh Bhatt, Akbar Khan, Pahlaj Nihalani, Feroze Khan and Sanjay Khan and the cast of the film.

A dream come true

AP reports:

For the film's heroine, Sonia Jehan — granddaughter of one of the best Pakistani singers and actresses, Noor Jehan — it was a dream come true. ``This is a very proud moment for me. I am a Pakistani who has arrived from India with a message of love,'' she said hours before the movie's premiere.

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