Pakistan to lift ban on Indian films
Tuesday, August 3, 2004: (Lahore):
The Pakistani government has said it will lift the ban on screening of Indian films in place since the 1965 war between the two countries.
A deal is expected to be signed at a meeting between the Culture Secretaries of the two countries later this week.
The agreement would mean that Pakistanis will soon get to see Indian films in their own cinema halls.
Poor film quality
The poor quality of their films has kept people away from the halls so far.
“Five years ago, we had 80 cinema halls in Lahore. Now most have been shut down. There are only 32 cinema halls which are running and only five or six that have any customers,” said Arif Khan, Gulistan Cinemas, Lahore.
Many prefer to watch Bollywood films, but they are available only on pirated videos ever since public screenings were banned four decades ago.
“Just look at the kind of titles here. We would rather watch Indian films. They have a varying theme and actually carry a message,” said a Pakistani filmgoer.
The government’s promise to life the four-decade old ban is being viewed as a move to revive the domestic industry.