Four Indian films to be screened in Pakistani cinemas

KARACHI: After receiving the official notification, Pakistani cinema owners have started preparing to screen Indian films in Pakistani cinemas.

Four films, including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Ranbir Kapoor’s film ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ and Bollywood’s superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Mahira Khan’s film ‘Raees’, will release on February 4, 2017.

After Minister of State for Information Broadcasting and National Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb had signed the summary for screening of Indian films, Pakistani cinema owners and film exhibitors multiplied endeavours for the official screening of selected films. 

According to the sources, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Ranbir Kapoor’s film ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’, which was made under the direction of ace filmmaker Karan Johar, will be reviewed by the censor committee on Wednesday (today) and will be officially released on Friday in Pakistan. This film was officially released in India on October 27, 2016. However, its release was stalled in Pakistan due to the aggravated Pak-India ties. ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ also features handsome Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, who has impressed everyone with his stellar performance in this film.

On the other hand, Bollywood’s famous director Subhash Kapoor’s film ‘Jolly LLB 2’ will have a worldwide release on February 10, 2017, including Pakistan and India. Cinemagoers will also be able to see ‘Kaabil’ and ‘Raees’ in cinemas this month.

According to the sources, the ban on Indian films had affected cinema owners of Pakistan badly. The Pakistani productions were not able to fulfil the economic needs of Pakistani cinema owners. The cinema business dwindled by 80 percent after facing this ban.

As such, people related to the Pakistani film and cinema industry submitted requests to the federal government regarding screening of Indian films. Following the requests submitted by concerned people, Minister of State for Information Broadcasting and National Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb approved the screening of Indian films in Pakistan by signing the official notification.