Pakistan lifts 40-year ban on Bollywood

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has lifted a 40-year-old ban on Indian films after the government permitted the public screening of "Sohni Mahiwal," a classic 1984 Bollywood movie based on a popular Punjabi love legend.

The move is seen as a significant step in the warming of relations between the countries after decades of hostility. It also opens up a lucrative new market to Bollywood, which, in terms of overall viewers and numbers of features produced, is already the world's biggest film industry.

The ban, introduced after the 1965 Kashmir war, had badly damaged the Pakistani film industry. Cinema audiences had declined sharply as viewers turned to pirated video or DVD versions of Indian films.

There were 1,300 cinemas in the 1970s, compared with 270 at present, many having been converted into filling stations or shopping centres.

Besides "Sohni Mahiwal," a joint production with Russia, Pakistani authorities have also allowed the screening of "Mughal-e-Azam," another Bollywood super movie of the 1970s.

The development came after the censor board deleted the words "Indian artiste" and"Indian director" from the guidelines, which had prevented the release of Indian films.

The decision could pave the way for joint film productions and greater cultural co-operation between the nations. This is likely to prove widely popular with Pakistan's 162 million people.

Although public screenings were forbidden, millions of Pakistanis already watched the latest Indian movies aired by cable networks sometimes on the same day that they were released in India. Indian film songs have been very popular in Pakistan.

For years the Pakistani film industry campaigned for the screening of Indian movies in the country. They argued that was the only way that the country's film industry could be revived.

"We have wanted this to happen for a long time," said Saeed Rizvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Film Producers Association.

Domestic film production has decreased dramatically in recent years. Only 18 films were produced in Pakistan last year, compared with 300 or so a year in the 1970s.

The peace process, which started about two years ago, has produced a gradual thaw in relations, the lifting of travel restrictions and continuing talks over the disputed border in Kashmir. It had already opened opportunities for Pakistani actors to work in Indian films. About a half-dozen Pakistani actors have appeared in Bollywood films since then.

Source: China Daily