Faysal Quraishi, one of Pakistan’s top actors and producers, has advocated for the release of Indian films in the country to revive the local cinema exhibition sector. Quraishi, who has starred in several hit serials and also produced many blockbuster series, said Pakistan needed to lift the ban on screening of Indian films to survive and grow. “Being a Pakistani, I’m very patriotic. But if you have to run Pakistani cinemas, it’s important that you exhibit Indian films. I’m being very selfish. “But I know the audience in Pakistan wants to watch Indian films. You can’t enforce your will on them. (Let us) Work to improve relations,” he said in an interview with a local channel. There has been a complete ban on screening of Indian films in cinema houses in Pakistan since late 2019 but movie buffs can easily watch these movies on different streaming platforms like Netflix and Prime Video, which are legal, and even others which are accessible through VPN services. If there was no ban on Indian films in Pakistan, Quraishi said the Pakistan film drama industry would have been earning around Rs 6,000 to 7,000 million annually from the entertainment business, including screening of Pakistani content on Indian streaming portals and some channels. (PTI)
