Karachi: Mahesh Bhatt, prominent Indian film maker, on Tuesday said that film and theatre could bring the people of the two countries nearer and pave the way to transform the present hostile relations into good friendship.
Bhatt, accompanied by his daughter Pooja, also a filmmaker and a former movie star, was addressing a press conference at the National Academy of Performing Art where an extended theatre fair has been going.
The Bhatts have brought their drama, adapted from Bhatt’s film Daddy that launched Pooja as heroin on Indian silver screen.
“There is bright scope of co-production of the film between the two countries and this would help a lot in lessening the differences and hostilities,” Bhatt said.
He said that he was making a film in Pakistan but because of the law and order situation in the country, the financiers backed off. Nevertheless, he said that the scope of joint production still remained high and this would take place sooner.
Replying to a question about the making of anti-Pakistani films in India, Bhatt said whenever the propaganda films were made, he and many other artists and film makers condemned that.
There was a large number of people who were not in favour of the propaganda films, he said.
To another question Bhatt said that it was a wrong impression that Pakistani artists were discouraged and not promoted in India. Referring to Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, who was awarded India’s prestigious Film Fare Award, he said that the award was given on the public votes and that was the proof of how much the Indians liked the Pakistani artists.
He also made a mention of Rahat Ali Khan, the Pakistani singer, who now has his own residence in Mumabi named as Rahat House.
However, he said that there were some political parties that were against such interactions between the two nations but in all the film Industry was very much supportive to the Pakistani artists in India.
The Indian film maker also appreciated the quality of television dramas in Pakistan, which had been liked in India by a large number of people.
Pooja, who was sitting beside her father during the press conference, said that she was working on new movies and soon she would reappear on the screen in a new look.
