“IMGC has been part of Pakistan’s filmdom for over 50 years.”

Chairman of the IMGC Group, Shaikh Amjad Rasheed recently held a press conference to announce that his company - Distribution Club - will be part of not one but two films this Eid ul Fitr; Mahira Khan’s Saat Din Mohabbat In and Jawed Sheikh’s Wujood. Both these films will be pitted against Imran Malik’s Azaadi, that is also slated for an Eid Release. He told a group of journalists at his office on Monday that his company has been part of the filmdom for over 50 years and they have released the most number of Bollywood films since 2008 including Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety that has become a huge hit in both India and Pakistan.

Amjad Rasheed, son of renowned film producer and distributor SA Rasheed, shared how his father and Indian producer BR Chopra were so close that a week before his death, SA Rasheed wrote a letter to the Bollywood legend informing him that this might be his last letter to him. It was for Amjad Rasheed that the family of Yash Chopra delayed the funeral of their father, such has been the relationship between the two families. In fact, when his father set up his production house in the early days of Pakistan, SA Rasheed named it AR Films, because his friend BR had established BR Films across the border.

However, Amjad Rasheed had some reservations regarding the recent Pakistan International Film Festival, which he acknowledged for being a successful initiative but added that it was not a true representative of Pakistan’s film industry. He questioned the authenticity of the festival that was helmed by Karachi Film Society and didn’t include the likes of Satish Anand (Eveready Pictures), Abdul Khaliq Chaudhry (HKC Entertainment) and himself, considering they are the biggest film distributors in the country and have been part of the industry for a long time. He felt that they should have been taken on board.

Amjad Rasheed also discussed the export of Pakistani films to China, where Bollywood films are doing so well. He cited the example of three Indian films that were released in China and crossed over 100 crores in 2018. He offered to assist the Minister for Information & Broadcasting Maryam Aurangzeb in achieving this possible milestone (as he felt China could be a huge market for Pakistani films too), stating a few instances in which he found the Minister inaccessible for discussion.

Conclusively, Amjad Rasheed reiterated that China is one of the biggest markets for Pakistani films and the filmmakers should tap its potential, with or without the help of the Government.