Pak filmmakers up in arms against ban on Indian movies

Islamabad/Lahore, Aug 27 (PTI) Pakistani film
distributors and some filmmakers are up in arms over the
government's decision to bar the screening of Indian movies
during the upcoming Eid festival, saying such protectionist
measures cannot foster the development of indigenous cinema.
Culture Minister Aftab Shah Jillani recently announced
that no Indian film will be screened across Pakistan during
Eid to boost the flagging local industry.
The two annual Eid festivals are usually the most
profitable periods of the year for film distributors and
cinema hall owners as families throng theatres.
Nadeem Mandviwala, a senior official of the Pakistan
Film Exhibitors Association, said such protectionist measures
alone will not foster the development of the local film
industry.
Besides, he pointed out, the move will affect cinema
hall owners who invested Rs 40 crore over the past three years
to build new multiplexes and refurbish existing theatres.
"The government's move will protect Punjabi films
made in Lahore. We have protested because the government has
ignored Sindh and Karachi, where there is no market for
Punjabi films," Mandviwala, one of Pakistan's leading
distributors, told PTI.
"What will theatres in these areas screen during Eid?"
Many theatre owners earn greater returns during the
Eid festival than in other months and the lack of quality
products will affect their profitability, he said.
It was also not clear how many films local filmmakers
and producers will release during Eid, he said.
"When 250 cinema halls were closed across Pakistan
during 2001-07, where were the local directors and producers?
What did they do?" Mandviwala said.
Lahore-based producer and director Ijaz Bajwa said
it would be unjust for audiences to ban Indian movies during
Eid.
"People are only concerned about good movies,
irrespective of whether they are Indian or Pakistani.
They come to cinemas to watch good films," he told
PTI.
"This ban on Indian films will not give a boost to
the Pakistani film industry, which is not making better
films," he said.
Bajwa, whose Punjabi film 'Chana Sachi Muchi' did
good business at the box office earlier this year, said the
local industry should produce a good number of movies every
year instead of demanding a ban on Indian cinema.
Industry insiders say the government’s decision to
temporarily bar the screening of Indian films was influenced
by a lobby of Lahore-based Pakistani filmmakers who have been
unable to find markets for their films with poor production
values. PTI