by B. R. GOWANI
Since the gory partition of India into India and Pakistan in 1947, both countries have fought four wars and many of their politicians and religious leaders have used the disputed territory of Kashmir or some or other issue to incite hardcore nationalists and communalists for political and/or religious purposes. The most recent incidents being that of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir (India has 48% of the territory, Pakistan has 35%, and the rest is with China) and the Pakistani opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto‘s statement regarding Kashmir, among others.
On the other hand, the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif seems to be in a mood for friendship. And there are reasons: On the one hand Pakistani politician Imran Khan and Canada-based religious leader Tahir-ul-Qadri had last month, with the help of their supporters, brought Pakistan’s capital Islamabad to a standstill and had almost succeeded in ousting Sharif. The army has no sympathy for Sharif and would be happy to see him exit. However, he has full support of Saudi rulers. Improved relations, including economic ones, with India could provide Sharif some room to maneuver against his critics and opponents.
Various people and institutions on both sides have been trying for quite some time through different initiatives to bring people closer, and have to some extent succeeded. Entertainment industry’s contribution has to be acknowledged too.
Some of the filmmakers in Mumbai based Hindi/Urdu film industry and regional languages film industries in South India have also been offering roles in their films to Pakistani actors and actresses. Two of the several films released this month have Pakistani actress Humaima Malik as heroine in Mr. Natwarlal and Pakistani actor Fawad Khan as the male central character in Khoobsurat (Beautiful). It’s a two-way street. Pakistani artists get to work in an industry which uses latest technology and spends millions of dollars on films which are released worldwide. This affords Pakistani artists an international recognition. On the other hand, many Indian film makers are able to cut down their cost drastically by getting Pakistani artists at a small price.
But the small price may go up, if not for all Pakistani artists then at least for Fawad Khan. He was already popular among Pakistani women and girls but now the same thing has happened in India. First it was the TV serial Zindagi Gulzar Hai, aired on Zindagi, a new TV channel started by Zee TV (a wonderful step), for telecasting serials from Pakistan and other countries, and now Sonam Kapoor’s home production Khoobsurat, produced in association with Disney. Before the main film, in a few minutes clip, Sonam Kapoor, the heroine of the film, ashamedly talks about Disney’s family values! The movie was OK; a light entertainment. Khan got almost equal number of scenes as Kapoor. His acting was nice. The other film Mr. Natwarlal was lousy and Humaima Malik, a fine actress, didn’t get a chance to showcase her talents.
Economic ties have, in most cases, a miraculous power to heal the rift between enemies. The business people in both countries are keenly waiting to avail the opportunities the improved relations will offer them.
One great side effect of the good reception given by the Indian audience to the quality Pakistani serials could be that the makers and writers of the Indian TV serials would realize the lousy and non-provocative content of their product and think of changing it. Another nice thing about Pakistani serials is their very short duration. Indian serial makers can do it if they drastically cut down their elaborate weddings and mind boggling religious rituals spread over days. It will give their serials a more secular and international look. Of course, not before they make their serials more realistic. But it could happen the other way around too – the Pakistani serial makers start copying their Indian counterparts. Anything is possible in today’s greedy and commercial world. But let’s hope for the best.
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com