Did a Pakistani actor just requested to lift the Ban on screening of Indian films in Pakistan?

Pakistani actor Faysal Quraishi has advocated for the screening of Indian films in Pakistan to uplift the screening business in the country. Let us understand the whole issue:

Why is a Pakistani actor favoring Indian Films?

Indian films are very popular in Pakistan due to similar languages. The Pakistani government imposed a ban on the screening of Indian films in the country in 2019. The movie exhibition sector in Pakistan used to generate as much as 50% of its revenue from the screening of Indian films. The ban has significantly harmed the screening business.

Faysal Qureshi, a popular actor in the country, expressed his concern on the same issue. He stated that the screening of Indian films in Pakistan is necessary to revive the fallen sector. Faysal said, "Being a Pakistani, I'm very patriotic. But if you have to run Pakistani cinemas, it's important that you exhibit Indian films. I'm being very selfish. But I know the audience in Pakistan wants to watch Indian films. You can't enforce your will on them. (Let us) Work to improve relations."

Pakistani Audiences continue to consume Indian films

Since the cultures of both countries have a lot in common, Pakistani audiences find relatability in Indian films. This motivates them to watch Indian content. Even though Indian films are not released in the country, Pakistani people access them through various OTT platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. Apart from that, people access them through illegal means using methods such as VPNs for pirated content.

Faysal further stated that if there was no ban on the screening of Indian films, the Pakistani Film Drama industry could generate Rs 6,000 to 7,000 million annually. He said, "Our movies and serials were being shown on their online portals, and people went to the cinemas as well to watch Indian films, bringing in valuable revenue for our industry. It is funny we tend to shut down our avenues of revenue."

Pakistan taking all the wrong steps

Former Pakistani information minister Fawad Choudhary announced the ban on the screening of Indian films after the Balakot Air Strike. He said, “Cinema Exhibitors Association has boycotted Indian content, and no Indian Movie will be released in Pakistan. Also, I have instructed PEMRA to act against Made in India Advertisements.”

Pakistan has fewer than 170 screens, while India has 9000 screens. This number clearly indicates that India has 53 times more screens than Pakistan. The number of screens in Pakistan is continuously reducing.

Pakistani audiences are dissatisfied with the domestically produced content as the quality is not up to the mark. The Pakistani actor said, "People need new and exciting content to attract them to the cinemas, and for that, we not only need to improve our content and business models but also lift the ban on the screening of Indian movies. This would also reopen our content on streaming portals." He also said, "It is time we started producing content of such a level that we can even hit the international streaming platforms."

This year has been great for the Indian Film Industry, as films across languages have done good business in the domestic and international markets. With several films crossing Rs 500 crores, Indian Film Industry is at its best.

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