Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in the Russian city of Ufa earlier this month, in an effort to restore cordial ties — but sadly, the situation went back to square one when a top Pakistani diplomat said that no dialogue process will take place with India sans the Kashmir issue. In spite of no significant official advances till now between India and Pakistan on the diplomatic front, culturally, there has been development between the two countries. At one time, the crossing over of a Pakistani star to Bollywood was not just newsworthy, it was frowned upon. Now it has become so common; Pakistanis are beginning to be judged based on their merit and not their nationalities alone, opening up a new chapter in the strange love affair between India and Pakistan, fuelled by distance, hardship and mutual suspicion and fascination. How we can forget the unanimous success of the Eid release, Bajrangi Bhaijaan — a Salman Khan starrer that propagates a positive message of peace, unity and brotherhood on both sides of the border. Initially, I was on the view that it would be a chatterbox movie but I did watch Bajrangi Bhaijaan out of interest in how he single-handedly ends conflict between India and Pakistan and sorts out the Kashmir question. To be very honest, the movie tells a simple story about people, goodness and genuine emotions, without touching politics, and sends a universal message: goodness is more important than enmity. It is a supercharged cross-border movie that is set in the colourful Chandini Chowk, the desert of Rajasthan and the snow-capped, beautiful Kashmir, delivering the message of subcontinental peace. What I liked the most in this movie is that Salman Khan, while crossing the border without a visa, charms the Pakistan army and teaches everyone a thing or two about the Line of Control. All kinds of syncretism is going on here but Bajrangi Bhaijaan talks about the cross-border message of peace. This is good news, because Bollywood movies have not exactly been known for cross-border messages of peace. The movie deals with the issues of communal hatred, intolerance and the stereotypes surrounding religion and about a Pakistani residing in India. But this was countered in the movie when the people of both countries unite for the same cause, fostering brotherhood and peace. The movie is about the common people, their sufferings due to conflict and their power to change it. I remember some of the dialogues from the movie that are touching: “Kaash dono mulkon mein aise log hote toh aaj baat kuch aur hoti,” depicts the remorse of the common people. A dialogue by a lady in the movie, played by Meher Vij, when Shahida is lost goes, “Hindustan 5 minute door hai, mai khud dhoond laugi.” The constable responds, “5 minute door ke liye apko phir se visa banwana padega! Hindustan hai wo, doosra mulk hai wo!” I personally believe that film is a great way to bring people closer or to make them understand each other better. It is a great tool for propaganda and awareness. If used wisely, like in Bajrangi Bhaijaan and PK, it can connect people from all over the world, create a better understanding of each other, increase tolerance, open minds and connect hearts. I enjoyed the film very much. There was a message of love that touched my heart. Many other Bollywood films also show love and humanity. Many of my friends have been saying and I was reading on social media that this movie is against Pakistan. My answer to them is very simple: if it is not a pro-Pakistan movie, then it is not an anti-Pakistan movie either. It showed how an Indian, who was once a strong, rigid, biased and conservative Hindu, changed his attitude towards Muslims after coming to Pakistan, as in the last scene he showed the gesture Muslims use for “Salam” but previously he hesitated in doing so. It is just a movie, and obviously, since it is an Indian product, they have shown it their way. Would you expect a Pakistani film to show Indians as angels and a peaceful nation? Certainly not! But I remember and want to share with my friends and readers that once a very talented young filmmaker by the name of Ali Kapadia tried to make a film on the subject of India-Pakistan friendship but was stopped from making such a film. From my point of view, there should be harmony between both of these neighbours and this film is the first step towards that, because it showed the good and black sheep of both. As a Pakistani, I appreciate this effort. I strongly believe that only the people of both countries can bring about peace by joining hands and bypassing politicians and military and religious establishments. These establishments will never allow peace because the persons involved in them have their own vested interests and that has been proven time and again. Sadly, our film industry and even television screens do not show us the real issues. We do not get to see what the common people want regarding Pak-India relations. We only get to see the likes of Atif Aslam, Veena Malik, Ghulam Ali, Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Bilawal Bhutto and Hafiz Saeed. Moreover, non-state actors in Pakistan have a hidden role in many of the films and dramas. I can name all the movies that were produced in Pakistan and were funded. It is a sad state of affairs, but it is the reality and it needs to be accepted, because it will lead to a whole generation growing up poisoned and carrying an extremely skewed view of the world, particularly in the context of Pak-India relations. The writer is a social and political activist based in Lahore. He can be reached at salmanali088@gmail.com