Attacking art

In order to live a normal life, one has to have entertainment in any form. Films had been a source of entertainment even before Partition. Until the 1970s, Pakistan we had its flourishing film industry which was competing with India. Afterwards, General Ziaul Haq took the charge of the country and Pakistan’s film industry totally collapsed. The industry remained in decline for years. Almost a decade back, the resurrection of the industry happened. The cinema industry got a new life when the country started screening Indian Hindi movies. Entrepreneurs invested huge money and the state of art cinemas got better. The trend of going to cinemas emerged in all major cities of Pakistan. However, the country’s censor board consider these foreign films a ‘bad’ thing which should be avoided at any cost. Recently it banned Raees – a film which could have revived cinema culture as well and could have allowed investors to make some money.

I have seen the movie. There is nothing wrong in it and it doesn’t qualify to be banned in Pakistan. In fact, one of our junior artists, Mahira Khan, was in the film. She was sharing the screen with Shah Rukh Khan – one of the top actors of the Indian film industry. We should have felt proud. Now Pemra has issues over the film ‘Dangal’. I have seen the movie in London. As far as its theme is concerned, we need to show this film more in Pakistan than in India. If there is Indian national anthem towards the climax of the film, what is wrong with it?. It is an Indian film not Pakistan’s. For the sake of the cinema industry and for the entertainment of the people, the government must change present censor board and bring in some open minded people.

Khalid Rashid (Rawalpindi)