Boomtime beyond border
India and Pakistan are divided by borders but united by Bollywood films - thus goes the popular perception in the Hindi film industry.
The statement formed the theme of last year's crossover delight Filmistan, and has been endorsed by the film fraternity on either side of the border. Now, the idea is getting massive support from the Pakistani audience with Hindi films increasingly hitting their screens.
Blame it on the maddening craze for the Indian stars, particularly the Khans, but our films are making profits in Pakistani theatres. The inflow of Indian films undoubtedly has offered reason for Indian producers and Pakistani distributors to rejoice. Conversely, Indian films are also giving a tough time to locally-produced films in Pakistan.
As many as 16 Indian films were released in Pakistan last year. Of these, Dhoom 3 emerged as the biggest hit collecting 42 crore in Pakistani rupees (or PKR). The profit margin of Dhoom 3 was way higher than the Pakistani film Waar, which was released in the same Eid weekend.
Dhoom 3 also broke the record of Chennai Express, which had earlier earned PKR 40 crore. Rajkumar Hirani's PK was also another huge hit, collecting PKR 21 crore last year. Beyond these Khan blockbusters, the Pakistani audience is fast developing a new craze for Ranbir Kapoor. The new thriller Roy, which has Ranbir in an extended cameo, had a huge opening despite the ongoing world cup matches last week. Ranbir's forthcoming film, Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet, is also anxiously awaited.
Dhoom 3 also broke the record of Chennai Express, which had earlier earned PKR 40 crore. Rajkumar Hirani's PK was also another huge hit, collecting PKR 21 crore last year. Beyond these Khan blockbusters, the Pakistani audience is fast developing a new craze for Ranbir Kapoor. The new thriller Roy, which has Ranbir in an extended cameo, had a huge opening despite the ongoing world cup matches last week. Ranbir's forthcoming film, Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet, is also anxiously awaited.
"Pakistani films have the potential of doing three times more business than Indian films. However, a limited number of films are produced by indigenous filmmakers," says Nadeem Mandviwalla, a leading distributor in Pakistan. Despite a demand for banning Indian films completely, the stardom of Btown continues to boost local business.
The Pakistani film industry, referred to as Lollywood because they are mostly made in Lahore, continues to remain under the shadow of extravagant Bollywood. For instance, several film exhibitors had collaborated with filmmaker Kabir Khan and Yash Raj Films to inaugurate their state-of-the art theatres in 2012 when the sleek thriller Ek Tha Tiger released. The film, however, faced a ban by the Pakistani censors because of its direct reference to the ISI. Despite the ban, the film's hero Salman Khan continues to be the hot favourite in Pakistan and his other releases such as Bodyguard and Kick have seen a massive response in the traditional markets. Salman fans in Pakistan are anxiously waiting for his upcoming film, Kabir Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan scheduled to release on Eid in July.
"There are limited numbers of theatres and multiplexes in Pakistan, and that fact is always a deterrent. Besides, the film industry in Pakistan has been battling with the unregulated market of pirated DVDs and video cassettes," adds Mandviwalla.
This explains why despite the popularity of critically acclaimed hits such as Khuda Ke Liye, Bol and Zinda Bhaag, Pakistan can boast of only a few runaway successful films such as Mein Hoon Shahid Afridi, Ishq-e-Khuda, Waar and a small budget flick like Josh. Sholay, Ramesh Sippy's all-time blockbuster of 1975, is yet another Indian biggie ready to hit the screen in March. The multistarrer featuring Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri and Amjad Khan has been anxiously awaited by cross border Bollywood buffs. It has also opened gates for other old hits such as Shah Rukh Khan's Devdas and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge.
CHENNAI EXPRESS
MONEY MATTERS: PKR 40 crore
Going by Shah Rukh Khan's appeal in Pakistan, the distributors and theatre owners made a killing by hiking ticket prices. The Rohit Shetty film gave a clear defeat to the Hollywood blockbuster Wolverine and the Akshay Kumar starrer Boss, and worked despite Waar, an Eid bonanza for the local audience.
The Pakistani film industry, referred to as Lollywood because they are mostly made in Lahore, continues to remain under the shadow of extravagant Bollywood. For instance, several film exhibitors had collaborated with filmmaker Kabir Khan and Yash Raj Films to inaugurate their state-of-the art theatres in 2012 when the sleek thriller Ek Tha Tiger released. The film, however, faced a ban by the Pakistani censors because of its direct reference to the ISI. Despite the ban, the film's hero Salman Khan continues to be the hot favourite in Pakistan and his other releases such as Bodyguard and Kick have seen a massive response in the traditional markets. Salman fans in Pakistan are anxiously waiting for his upcoming film, Kabir Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan scheduled to release on Eid in July.
"There are limited numbers of theatres and multiplexes in Pakistan, and that fact is always a deterrent. Besides, the film industry in Pakistan has been battling with the unregulated market of pirated DVDs and video cassettes," adds Mandviwalla.
This explains why despite the popularity of critically acclaimed hits such as Khuda Ke Liye, Bol and Zinda Bhaag, Pakistan can boast of only a few runaway successful films such as Mein Hoon Shahid Afridi, Ishq-e-Khuda, Waar and a small budget flick like Josh. Sholay, Ramesh Sippy's all-time blockbuster of 1975, is yet another Indian biggie ready to hit the screen in March. The multistarrer featuring Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri and Amjad Khan has been anxiously awaited by cross border Bollywood buffs. It has also opened gates for other old hits such as Shah Rukh Khan's Devdas and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge.
CHENNAI EXPRESS
MONEY MATTERS: PKR 40 crore
Going by Shah Rukh Khan's appeal in Pakistan, the distributors and theatre owners made a killing by hiking ticket prices. The Rohit Shetty film gave a clear defeat to the Hollywood blockbuster Wolverine and the Akshay Kumar starrer Boss, and worked despite Waar, an Eid bonanza for the local audience.
PK
MONEY MATTERS: PKR 21 crore
Bollywood's all-time biggest blockbuster enjoyed the advantage of its deadly combination of Rajkumar Hirani and Aamir Khan. After watching 3 Idiots on home video, the cross border fans were anxious to watch the satirical drama. According to local distributors, the film was a rare one that enjoyed repeat value in Pakistan.
DHOOM 3
MONEY MATTERS: PKR 42 crore
Despite a Pakistani film, Waar, opening around the same time, Dhoom 3 managed to attract the audience. The Khan factor always helps in Pakistan, and going by Aamir Khan's popularity the film ran in five shows a day across nearly 58 screens - something unheard for a Bollywood film in Pakistan. Waar, despite being an anti-India terrorism thriller, had managed only 56 screens.
KICK
MONEY MATTERS: PKR 15 crore
Salman Khan is as popular in Pakistan as he is in India and till date not a single film starring the actor has faced a debacle at the Pakistani box office. Kick made a huge profit in lesser known theatres located in old Karachi and distributors earned PKR 65,000-70,000 per show. KHOOBSURAT MONEY MATTERS: PKR 12 crore Shashanka Ghosh's small-budget film was an average earner, primarily riding the popularity of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. Fawad's loyal (primarily female) fan base thronged to the theatres to applaud his new innings.
NO SHOW IN PAKISTAN
Several big films failed to see light of the day in Pakistan owing to strict guidelines of the Pakistan Film Censor Board or faced a ban owing to sensitivity of the subject.
EK THA TIGER
Two new multiplex theatres were planning to show Ek Tha Tiger as their inaugural film but it faced a noshow because the film depicted the country's security agency and had Katrina Kaifplaying a Pakistani spy.
BABY
The censor boards in Islamabad and Karachi decided to ban the film because it offered a negative image of Pakistanis and several negative characters in the film had Muslim names.
HAIDER
The Shakespearean adaptation faced the heat in Pakistan because the censors feel any film depicting the controversial theme of Kashmir terrorism is unsuitable for mass viewing.
THE DIRTY PICTURE
The film ran into a dead end in Pakistan owing to its racy theme and raunchy songs. The pirated DVDs of the film were reportedly a huge hit.
MONEY MATTERS: PKR 21 crore
Bollywood's all-time biggest blockbuster enjoyed the advantage of its deadly combination of Rajkumar Hirani and Aamir Khan. After watching 3 Idiots on home video, the cross border fans were anxious to watch the satirical drama. According to local distributors, the film was a rare one that enjoyed repeat value in Pakistan.
DHOOM 3
MONEY MATTERS: PKR 42 crore
Despite a Pakistani film, Waar, opening around the same time, Dhoom 3 managed to attract the audience. The Khan factor always helps in Pakistan, and going by Aamir Khan's popularity the film ran in five shows a day across nearly 58 screens - something unheard for a Bollywood film in Pakistan. Waar, despite being an anti-India terrorism thriller, had managed only 56 screens.
KICK
MONEY MATTERS: PKR 15 crore
Salman Khan is as popular in Pakistan as he is in India and till date not a single film starring the actor has faced a debacle at the Pakistani box office. Kick made a huge profit in lesser known theatres located in old Karachi and distributors earned PKR 65,000-70,000 per show. KHOOBSURAT MONEY MATTERS: PKR 12 crore Shashanka Ghosh's small-budget film was an average earner, primarily riding the popularity of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. Fawad's loyal (primarily female) fan base thronged to the theatres to applaud his new innings.
NO SHOW IN PAKISTAN
Several big films failed to see light of the day in Pakistan owing to strict guidelines of the Pakistan Film Censor Board or faced a ban owing to sensitivity of the subject.
EK THA TIGER
Two new multiplex theatres were planning to show Ek Tha Tiger as their inaugural film but it faced a noshow because the film depicted the country's security agency and had Katrina Kaifplaying a Pakistani spy.
BABY
The censor boards in Islamabad and Karachi decided to ban the film because it offered a negative image of Pakistanis and several negative characters in the film had Muslim names.
HAIDER
The Shakespearean adaptation faced the heat in Pakistan because the censors feel any film depicting the controversial theme of Kashmir terrorism is unsuitable for mass viewing.
THE DIRTY PICTURE
The film ran into a dead end in Pakistan owing to its racy theme and raunchy songs. The pirated DVDs of the film were reportedly a huge hit.
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