By Sameer Arshad
The effective ban on Sonam Kapoor’s film ‘Neerja’ in Pakistan is the latest fallout of seesawed Delhi-Islamabad relationship. The biopic on air hostess Neerja Bahnot, who was killed while saving lives of passengers including Pakistanis onboard a hijacked flight in Karachi in 1986, would not be screened in Pakistan for the country’s “negative portrayal”. Earlier similar reasons were cited for banning films like ‘Phantom’.
That the bans do not work and robbed Pakistan of a major source of revenue had forced Islamabad to lift a blanket ban on Bollywood films in 2007. The ban was imposed following the 1965 war, but it became ineffective starting 1980s when film buffs began smuggling VHS tapes to watch Indian movies. Satellite, cable TV and DVD piracy made the embargo even more pointless, prompting reconsideration of the ban to tap into crucial revenue that was otherwise going to underground piracy industry.
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Pakistan is believed to have emerged among five top markets for Bollywood since ‘Goal’ in 2007 became the first Bollywood film to be screened there in 42 years. The screening of Bollywood movies has since been credited with reviving cine-going culture, fuelling multiplex boom and revitalizing Pakistan’s decaying film industry.
Upper and middle-classes had virtually stopped going to cinemas due the proliferation of vulgar Punjabi movies like Maula Jatt, which were a hit with working classes and peasants empowered during socialist Bhutto era in the 70s. PPrior to 2007, old cinemas were being razed to make way for malls as they made no business sense. Businesses were reluctant to invest in new theatres, where the middle and upper-class families could go.
Super Cinema has pioneered the multiplex boom in Pakistan while multinational IMAX launched its first theatre in Lahore in June 2014 with the screening of science fiction ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’. IMAX had earlier collaborated with Cine Star Cinema to install digital theaters in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi in 2012. Even small towns like Gujranwala have at least six multiplexes.
Pakistani cine goers have since 2007 mostly lapped up Indian movies at these multiplexes. In December, ‘Dilwale’ was reported to have earned around Rs 5 crore on the first day of screening making it the most successful film in Pakistan. ‘My Name Is Khan’ was a super hit in Pakistan in 2010 before it could be released in Mumbai as Shiv Sena stalled its release there following Shah Ruk Khan’s statement regretting exclusion of Pakistani cricketers from IPL.
The supporters of Bollywood movies argue they have led to the revival of Pakistani films like ‘Khuda Kay Liye’ by reviving cine-going culture and creating demand for good content. The Pakistani film industry had declined in the 1980s after peaking a decade earlier. It has now re-emerged in Karachi also with the mushrooming of private television channels headquartered in the city. The number of privately-owned channels in Pakistan went up to over 50 in 2008 compared to three state-run channels six years back. The small screen offered new opportunities for actors, filmmakers and technicians. They have over the years revived the dying film industry by investing money made thanks to mushrooming of TV serials and commercials into the films.
Shoaib Mansoor’s highly-acclaimed ‘Bol’ in 2011 was a product of this revival and dealt with sexuality. It was the first Pakistani movie to make $1m at the box office. Bol has inspired many films of international quality like Zinda Bhaag, which became the first Pakistani film to be nominated for Oscar in 50 years in 2013. Technological and the digital revolution have driven the revival of moribund Pakistani film industry while digital cameras have cut down the costs and time it takes in making movies.
