Monday, April 21, 2008

Bollywood Arrives In Pakistan

"Indian movies were banned in Pakistan in 1965, after the two
countries fought a war. Crippled by poor production and, more
recently, undercut by a burgeoning market of pirated DVDs, Pakistan's
film industry appeared to be on the verge of extinction. Box office
sales dwindled, and more than 600 movie theaters closed.But since a
government decision in February to lift the ban on the screening of
Indian movies, the ailing industry stands poised for a rebound," says
an article in the Washington Post.

"Race" a racy new Bollywood movie was screened in Pakistan, a delight
to many young Pakistani's who are craving Bollywood films. One common
interest between the people of Pakistan and India, that should
definitely be taken advantage of.

An excerpt from the Washington Post article --
It's 12:30 p.m. and dozens of people are lined up outside the Cinepax
movie theater, waiting in the unforgiving heat for their first glimpse
of one of Pakistan's few multiplex cinemas. About 100 yards away, four
towering columns mark the spot where a former prime minister was
hanged years ago, casting a long shadow over the theater grounds.

Inside, a slice of America with Bollywood flavoring beckons. Ice-cold
air conditioning blasts across the spotless, polished marble floors of
the five-screen multiplex. The plush purple stadium seats are slowly
filling up, while an Indian raga plays loudly on the sound system.

Mushtaq, a 24-year-old telecom worker who lives with her parents in
Peshawar, can barely keep still. In a few minutes, she will see her
first Indian-made movie -- a slick thriller-cum-pop opera called
"Race," about two pretty girls, two rich brothers and a triple
double-cross at a highflying racetrack in South Africa.

"The moment we entered the theater," Mushtaq says, gesturing toward
two friends at the concession stand, "we thought we'd never seen
anything like this. There has been nothing like this in Pakistan --
that's why we had to come."

Read the full article at--
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/04/20/ST2008042001910.html

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