{"id":44657,"date":"2024-01-06T18:33:58","date_gmt":"2024-01-06T18:33:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/can-bollywood-bring-india-and-pakistan-closer-together-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2024-01-06T18:33:58","modified_gmt":"2024-01-06T18:33:58","slug":"can-bollywood-bring-india-and-pakistan-closer-together-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/can-bollywood-bring-india-and-pakistan-closer-together-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Bollywood bring India and Pakistan closer together? | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nISLAMABAD:
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Indian movie stars, especially from Bollywood, have huge fan bases in Pakistan \u2014 despite the bitter political rivalry between the neighbouring nations. What is driving this popularity? Films in Pakistan need to be cleared by provincial boards that censor anything deemed a violation of the country\u2019s social and cultural values.<\/p>\n

And, since 2019, movies produced by India\u2019s Hindi film industry, based out of the country\u2019s financial capital, Mumbai, and more popularly known as Bollywood, have not been allowed to be shown at cinemas in Pakistan.<\/p>\n

When actor Shah Rukh Khan\u2019s blockbuster Pathaan<\/em> was publicly screened in Karachi\u2019s affluent DHA neighbourhood in January 2023, the censor board in Pakistan\u2019s southern province of Sindh, where Karachi is located, stopped the screening. The relations between Pakistan and neighbouring India have seldom been cordial, particularly because of the disputed Kashmir territory.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, many Pakistani cinemagoers are ardent followers of Bollywood and its stars. Apart from Shah Rukh Khan, known as the \u201cKing of Bollywood,\u201d whose latest comedy-drama Dunki<\/em> was released in cinemas earlier this month, other Bollywood actors such as Aamir Khan, Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor enjoy a large following in Pakistan.<\/p>\n

In the past few years, movies produced in the southern part of India \u2014 or helmed by directors hailing from the south \u2014 have gained popularity in Pakistan because of their action-oriented and technology-driven storylines.<\/p>\n

Adding to the appeal of Bollywood on the other side of the geographical divide is the language featured in the films, Hindi. Hindi is similar to Urdu, which is the language widely spoken in Muslim-majority Pakistan. Also, some of the artists and technicians working in Bollywood come from Muslim backgrounds.<\/p>\n

Bollywood: Marketing or content?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite the tensions between India and Pakistan at the state level, similar cultural aspects between the two nations persist \u2014 particularly when it comes to movies and music. \u201cI heard a TV host the other day talk about the subject. He was of the view that before 1947, in undivided India, we were making similar films,\u201d actor Mohib Mirza told DW<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur heroes also sang songs in the valleys and around the trees. But I think influence is a different subject. Bollywood itself is not original \u2014 it\u2019s heavily influenced by many other countries,\u201d Mirza said. \u201cThe reason that our audiences watch Indian films is the way they \u2018market\u2019 their stuff,\u201d Mirza added. \u201cNo matter what, we will get the news about what\u2019s happening in India.\u201d<\/p>\n

Journalist Ghazi Salahuddin disagrees. \u201cBollywood has a lot of influence in Pakistan primarily because its films are widely watched in the country for their quality and content, something that we lack,\u201d Salahuddin told the publication. \u201cThey have adapted to technological advancement, as well,\u201d Salahuddin said. \u201cThey have a big international market due to which they can afford to experiment and spend a lot of money on their screen projects. India\u2019s economic success has a role to play in it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indian and Pakistani movies have song and dance sequences, said filmmaker Shoaib Sultan, whose directorial debut Gunjal<\/em> was released in cinemas on December 15. \u201cIt\u2019s a massive industry. Our audiences watch it because it\u2019s entertaining and larger than life.\u201d Given that Pakistan lacks a major film industry of its own, movie distributors and cinema owners in the country now largely depend on releases from major Hollywood studios to keep their businesses afloat.<\/p>\n

Pakistani films at the box office<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cUntil we [in Pakistan] start making movies, people will keep watching Bollywood,\u201d film distributor and exhibitor Nadeem Mandviwalla said. \u201cThese are the only two countries in the world which make movies the same way: song-and-dance sequences, dresses and the language, etc.,\u201d he said. \u201cThey call it the Hindi language and we call it Urdu. They use 80% Urdu words in Hindi.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeace activists on either side keep trying to bring the temperatures in the political field down,\u201d Salahuddin said. \u201cIndians and Pakistanis travel a lot and have large diasporas, because of which they meet each other outside South Asia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mandviwalla highlighted the importance of Indian movies in Pakistan. \u201cOur people know so much about India because of their exposure to its films,\u201d the film distributor said. \u201cFor the last 40 years,\u201d he added, \u201cthe Pakistani public has been watching Indian content.\u201d But, since Pakistan banned Indian movies in 2019, exhibitors and distributors in the country have had a tough time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe [as exhibitors] tell our government that there are only two choices: either allow Indian content or make at least 100 to 150 movies a year, which will help the Pakistani film industry stand on its feet,\u201d Mandviwalla said.<\/p>\n

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n