Pakistan’s film industry will soon
be feeling the vibrations of India’s cinematic presence
with the release of Aishwaray Rai’s film ‘Bride
and Prejudice’.
The film’s release will definitely
scupper the plans of those producers who are aiming to
overwhelm audiences with low-budget films. Instead, it
is believed that a high-budget film like ‘Bride
and Prejudice’ will boost the level of cinematic
production in Pakistan. Many view this as a necessary
stepping-stone to the co-production of films between India
and Pakistan.
The film is scheduled to hit Pakistani
cinemas by the end of December, film industry sources
told Daily Times on Saturday. Daily Times tried to contact
Ms Rai in India but she was unavailable for comment.
Certain groups in Pakistan, however, have
opposed the advance of Indian cinema here. Nevertheless,
many do support co-productions and the exchange of films
between the two countries. They believe that such moves
would be beneficial to both the Lollywood and Bollywood
film industries.
Daily Times also tried
to contact Pooja Bhatt, a staunch supporter of Indian
and Pakistani co-productions. She too was unavailable
for comment. However, her secretary Merica told this paper
that Ms Bhatt would be visiting Pakistan in December to
attend the Kara Film festival in Karachi. She will be
endorsing her film “Rog”, which had been selected
for screening at the festival.
Khaliq Chaudhry, the film’s
distributor in Pakistan, said that the film would be released
in Pakistan after Eidul Fitr. He said that showbiz circles
were excited about the release of the film since it would
boost an otherwise stagnant industry. He said that the
film would be screened after being censored, adding that
it would definitely be released in Pakistan well before
Eidul Azha.
Samina Peerzada, a supporter
of Indian and Pakistani co-productions, said that the
release of ‘Bride and Prejudice’ in Pakistan
would be a great moment in the history of Pakistani cinema.
She said that she had wanted to cast Ashwariya Rai in
a British-based film project but had been asked by the
producers to wait and see if Ms Rai could establish herself
as an international film star. Mr Peerzada added that
she was considering appearing in ‘Piya’ a
film by Indian choreographer Ahmed Khan.
Sana, a film actress who
also supports co-productions between the two countries,
said that ‘Bride and Prejudice’ would have
mass audience appeal due to Ms Rai’s starring role.
She said that there should be an exchange of films between
the two countries, adding that she had recently signed
on to ‘Kafla’, and Indian film starring Sunny
Deol. Production is expected to begin by the end of December.
‘Bride and Prejudice’ is produced
by Miramax and Pathe films, and takes its inspiration
from the Jane Austen novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’.
The film is a musical romantic comedy. According to one
film critic, India is using this vehicle to make the crossover
to mainstream western cinema.
The film moves between Amritsar and Goa
to London and Beverley Hills. It has a cast of colourful
characters, lavish dance sequences, and extravagant costumes.
The cast includes Aishwarya Rai, Martin
Henderson, Daniel Gillies, Naveen Andrews, Namrata Shirodkar,
Indira Varma, Nadira Babbar, Anupam Kher, Meghna Kothan,
Peeya Rai Rai Chowdhary, Nitin Chandra Ganatra Sonali
Kulkami, Ashanti, Marsha Mason and is directed by Gurinder
Chadha.
