Piracy may emerge winner with Indian movies being banned in Pakistan

Industry insiders say that ban on Indian movies in Pakistan will boost privacy. Owing to the strained relations between India and Pakistan, owners of theatres across the border decided to not screen Indian films. The ban came after Indian body; Indian Film Association put a ban on Pakistan artistes in Bollywood.

General Manager of SuperCinema, Lahore Khorem Gultasab, said the about 50-60 percent revenue in Pakistani cinemas comes from Indian movies. But he added that the ban on Indian movies has been done to show solidarity towards Pak actors and army.

Pakistan is the third largest market for Indian films, he added.

To keep cine buffs engaged, re-runs of old Pakistani movies are being screened in Pakistani theatres. However, Gultasab accepted that theatres in Pakistan can’t survive only on Pakistani movies.

According to him, the lifespan of any Pakistani film was one week while a blockbuster would last two weeks. Fifteen Pakistani films were released last year. This year, six films have been released, of which three flopped.

Like many, Gultasab hopes the ban on Indian movies is lifted soon, the Dawn reported.

"Pakistan and India are neighbours, and they will be, they are not going away anywhere. If they cannot be friends, they need to learn to co-exist," the Dawn quoted him as saying.

Nadeem Mandviwalla, owner of Atrium Cinema in Karachi and Centaurus cinema, said the ban on Indian films will in the long run hurt legitimate business. "The winner is the pirate."

Bollywood flicks "Pink", "Baar Baar Dekho" and "Mohenjo Daro" were playing at Cinepax before they were removed. And "Mirzya" and "Shivaay" won't be released.

(With IANS Inputs)