Daily Times

Sir: This Eid was special, as after a long time, people got to enjoy five new releases from the Pakistan film industry. This comes in light of the recent revival in our entertainment industry, and it is heartening to see original local content on our big screens. The recent ban on Bollywood films was expected to have a detrimental effect on the profits made by our local cinemas; however the release of the Pakistani films has helped drive audiences back to the theatres again. It was the perfect opportunity for our filmmakers to realize that there is a sizable population of movie fans in the country and that there is a huge market for original content in Pakistan.

Over the past few years, many initiatives have been designed especially to revive the ailing film industry in our country, and the results have been quite positive. Pakistani films are being released with greater frequency, and have even made it to several prominent international film festivals as well. However, if we ever hope to compete with Bollywood, then much more needs to be done. The first step could be increased support from the government, starting with a more neutral and helpful censor board. If we give our filmmakers the resources and the freedom to make the movies they want, we will see an immediate uptake in quality the next time we go see a local film.

MAHAM HUSSAIN

Karachi

Published in Daily Times, June 27^th 2018.