(Person) Percentage - Sabanci University Research Database

The Asian Media & Mass Communication Conference 2010 Osaka, Japan
cinema is causing more harm to the local industry. The apprehension of the harm spreads over
decades that shaped an active demand for a ban on legal exhibition of Indian films by
government officials, producers, and the farsighted. The officials demand a ban in the times of
tension between the two countries. The producers fear the competition, and the farsighted fear a
change in the cultural values of Pakistani society. However, the audience disagrees to the three
of them.
Pakistani and Indian Film Audience
The audience like Rehman believe that people who demand a ban on Indian films on cultural
grounds are “full of vague, unrealistic and fake alibis and dialogues regarding cultural reasons”
because the people in the two countries share their roots and religions (2009). They share similar
family structures, cultural artifacts, and emotional schemas that control their momentary appeals
and needs for entertainment. Thus, the people, the cinemas, and the two countries share their
origins regardless of perceptible civilizing differentiation. This sharing leads to the production of
analogous thematic and emotional content in both the countries. One does so crudely and the
other professionally. The Indian film professionalism results from loads of technological and
professional means and venues for training, while Pakistani industry suffers from a lack of
governmental support and tabooed public interest. Today, most Pakistani professionals and
exhibitors are looking towards India for finding solutions to their problems and needs. The
audience wants to watch Indian films, the exhibitors want to screen Indian films, the actors want
to toil into Indian films, and the producers crave methodological and imaginative support from
India and the opening of co-production, if probable and potential.
The potentiality is reflected in the consistent public demand for Hindi feature films despite
repeated bans in the last forty-five years. Indian film and entertainment channels are very
popular among a dominant majority of the Pakistani public. This popularity raises a concern in
some minds, reflecting duplicity of opinions. According to an article, “Usurping,” a group of
people considers it would be “futile to have these bigoted bans” as the people have their ways of
getting what they want. The other group considers “it is the duty, and the moral responsibility” of
the authorities, the “sensible farsighted public… and lobbyists to ensure that the finer values of
Pakistani society [are] protected from all ‘alien’ values including [those projected by] the
English language western channels … [They insist that the local] liberal channels should also be
restricted, if not altogether eliminated” (2003). Despite the conflict of such opinions, the
Pakistani authorities have never banned the piracy of Indian and American software to favor
either of the conflicting groups, or on ethical grounds. However, they have sufficiently
experimented to save the local industry by putting bans on Indian films.
PEMRA: REVIVAL BY BANNING INDIAN FILMS
The Indian films were first banned during the 1965-war between Pakistan and India, eliminating
the 1954-bartar policy for film export with India. As stated in “Usurping,”
There were then militant protagonists and equally passionate antagonists of Indian films
… in Pakistan. That divide … [remains] despite the passage of four decades … Both
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