Mumbai conquers Lahore!
By: Upala KBR
January 29, 2004
You could call it track-II diplomacy. While the governments of the two countries have been working to de-escalate Indo-Pak tensions, Bollywood has been secretly contributing to improve relations, and also Pakistani movies.
A host of top-notch technicians from Mumbai have been offering their services - at a pittance of their usual fee - to upgrade Pakistani movies.
The big names include: choreographers Ahmad Khan, Saroj Khan, music directors and singers like Aadesh Srivastava and Alka Yagnik, and most recently, cinematographer Kabir Lal. The list also includes an actor - Akshay Kumar. “The fees is not important. What’s vital is that the project be good,” says Lal.
Actress Reema, dubbed Pakistan’s Aishwarya Rai, is at present in Mumbai, scouting for technical talent for her as-yet untitled home production. So far she has zeroed in on the queen of jhatkas, Saroj Khan, who also choreographed dances for Javed Sheikh’s hit film, Yeh Dil Aapka Hua, last year.
“They took me to Spain and we shot the song there,” says Khan. “I did it for free, as a gesture of goodwill.” The diva, who charges up to Rs 5.5 lakh per song, says she has also not discussed money with Reema.
“It’s great that relations between India and Pakistan have improved so much. We also have much to learn from them. They use a different style of kathak, for instance, and it would be interesting to learn that style,” adds Khan
In the past, Pakistani actors like Heena, Anita Ayub and singer Nazia Hasan found work in India, but fluctuating political equations meant that this cross-flow never got beyond a desultory trickle.
Even today Pakistani law prohibits Indian actors from working in Pakistani movies. But with crossover movies becoming the newest buzz, Pakistanis, like London-based producer Sevy Ali, are working around the red tape.
Ali along with Mahesh Bhatt is launching two co-productions, one of which is likely to star Pakistani actress Meera and Akshay Kumar in the lead.
Kumar who recently come down heavily on Bollywood films that indulge in Pakistan-bashing said he would be game provided “the role and script was good”. The one other snag, besides politics, in a greater cross-flow of artistes and technicians could be the disparity in fees and finances.
“A song recording in Mumbai means Rs 5 to 6 lakh. In Pakistan you could record the entire album in Rs 2-3 lakh,” says music director Aadesh Srivastava’s brother Chitresh who has produced several Pakistani serials like Faasle and Gayegi Duniya Geet Mera. “Somewhere both sides have to find a compromise.”
P D Mehra, an old-time producer-director who recently facilitated the visit of a Pakistani film delegation to Mumbai, spells out the ideal scenario when he says: “A small country like Pakistan which has a dearth of technical talent can tremendously improve films with our help while we could better our films with some original scripts and lyrics at which the Pakistanis are good. And who knows, a year from now, with relations improving by the day, an Indo-Pak film could make it to the Oscars!”
Pakistan, take five!
Saroj Khan choreo-graphed dances for Javed Sheikh’s Yeh Dil Aapka Hua and is now working on dance numbers for Pak actress Reema’s maiden directorial production
Alka Yagnik has sung two songs for a Pakistani film, the name of which she cannot recall
Aadesh Srivastava is the music director for Javed Sheikh’s next film
Ahmed Khan choreo-graphed the dances for Samina Peerzada’s film Inteha
Akshay Kumar is being approached for the Sevy Ali-Mahesh Bhatt
joint venture with Pakistani actress Meera
