Meera for ban on Indian films in Pak
Noreen Aslam

BOMBAY—Pakistani actress Meera who has acted in Bollywood films, especially in the Mahesh Bhatt camp, has shocked India and at the same time surprised Pakistan. She has recently spoken in Islamabad against showing of Indian movies in Pakistan on the plea that there is a vast difference in the cultures of the two countries. This is to recall that her smooch scene picturized on an Indian actor Ashmit Patel in Mahesh Bhatt’s movie had provoked Pak fundamentalists to raise a big furor there. At that juncture, however, she had vowed not to succumb to their pressure and continue to act in Indian movies.
In fact, she had shifted her residence to Dubai so that she could frequently visit India for doing Bollywood movies. Her latest statement has puzzled India and Bollywood in particular. They wonder as to what has led to this dramatic change in Meera’s attitude. In an interview, she has advised the ministry of culture in Pakistan to continue with its present policy of imposing a ban on the showing of Indian movies in Pakistan. Pakistan authorities are wondering if it’s a ploy to buy time in Pakistan for leaving that country for good!
Meanwhile, serious statecraft may currently be the order of day as far as the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India are concerned, but for the man on the street in the Pakistan capital, its the melodious hits from Bollywood that rule his head and heart. A Pakistan Government ban on Bollywood songs notwithstanding, Hindi film songs are still extremely popular here.
A visit to the food court located behind the hotel where the visiting Indian media has been put up for the duration of Foreign Minister Natwar Singh’s three-day visit to Pakistan takes you back in time. Popular numbers of Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar and Talat Mehmood to name a few are being belted out with regularity, creating a relaxed ambience. The songs can also be heard at restaurants, coffee shops and the local super markets and bazars. The “Lucknavi Andaz” is all too apparent at the entrance of the food court, when two gentlemen dressed in such attire greet guests arriving their for a hot lunch or dinner.
A visit to the Melody or the Jinnah Super Markets in downtown Islamabad can see locals as well as visiting Indians or expats making a beeline for DVDs or VCDs of Bollywood films or music, most of which are quite affordable. When we asked some locals about a new film release, their reply was “We see Bollywood much before in India. There is great craze about movies here. People here are very keen to see and meet Bollywood film stars or attend their stage shows whenever they are held in Pakistan.