The last Pakistani film to be released across India was Dupatta, in Urdu and starring Noor Jahan. That was 40 years ago. The long gap is set to be bridged by Pakistani producer-director Shahzad Rafique’s latest Punjabi film Mohabbataan Sachiyaan, which will hit cinema halls across India in November.“I feel honoured that my movie will bridge long this gap. It’s a huge milestone for me as a film maker and promoter of Indo-Pak friendship,” said Rafique, after the screening of the film at the South Asian Film Festival, which began here this week.The movie is a big hit in Pakistan and the box office collections stood at Rs 1 crore after five days of release in just 15 cinema halls. It features Babrik Shah and Veena Malik, who has done an Indian film in Punjabi as well and is one of the biggest names in Pakistani films. The post-production work was done at Yashraj Studio in Mumbai. Top Indian singers Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan and Richa Sharma have lent their voices to the film’s music.“There is so much talent in both the countries, which we should share and exchange,” said Rafique.With Indian films being a rage in Pakistan, doesn’t their film industry perceive any threat?“Not really. Indian films are popular but at the moment our regional cinema is doing well. We aspire to take our Urdu films forward with the passage of time. Even this film festival is supporting Pakistan’s cinema as our country is the focus this year,” he said. “Actually, after Gen Zia-ul-Haq enforced martial law in 1977 our film industry suffered tremendously. Since then, Indian filmdom has grown by leaps and bounds. We are still trying to find firm ground since it slipped from beneath our feet in 1977.”He says the Musharraf regime has been supportive. “This government has promoted the arts, especially cinema a lot. See for yourself, there’s no entertainment tax on our movies,” he said. Rafique’s next film, Tere Liye, due for release late next year, is written by ace Indian scriptwriter Javed Siddiqui, has lyrics by Gulzar and music by Annu Malik.
