Indian film distributor Shyam Shroff stunned the Pakistani delegation at the FICCI Frames meeting when he described the condition of Pakistani theatres he first visited 20 years ago.
"When I visited Pakistan recently," Shroff, who is also a wellknown theatre exhibitor, said, "theatre conditions had deteriorated. I was told that Pakistani families have stopped coming to theatres because of bad films produced by Pakistanis."
Sajjad Gul, CEO, Evernew Entertainment, a Pakistan production company, felt Indian cinema had taken a great leap in the last decade and Pakistani filmmakers needed to learn from the Indians.
"We have great talent, but we need the right kind of exposure," he said. "With the help of the Indian film industry, we can do wonders!"
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Gul's father founded Evernew in 1938 in then undivided India. "I will be happy to continue co-producing films in India," he said.
Amit Khanna, Chairman, Reliance Entertainment Private Limited, surprised the younger audience by reminding them that he was the first person to shoot a video album with Nazia Hassan 20 years ago. "I did that with Nusratsaheb [the late singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan] and Salma Agha later.
"It was a very memorable experience," said Khanna, who once wrote lyrics for films. "Pakistani artistes have tremendous talent and there is a need to tap that."
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