Interesting piece of news - Sumita Sheth

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By Salman Masood The New York Times
MONDAY, MAY 8, 2006

LAHORE, Pakistan The hoopla at the premiere of the Indian movie "Taj Mahal" was a little more frenzied than is usual here, but there was a reason: The event not only celebrated the opening of a new film, but also heralded what may be a gradual thaw in a four-decade cinematic cold war between India and Pakistan.

In late April, for the first time since 1965, movies made in India were shown in Pakistani theaters. Two films were approved by the government here: "Taj Mahal," featuring some of the newest Indian stars; and "Mughal-e-Azam," or The Great Mughal, released in India 46 years ago and regarded there as a classic that critics refer to as the Indian "Gone With the Wind."

Both are set in the Mughal era, a period of Muslim rule on the subcontinent that stretched from 1526 to 1707, and are love stories set in the courts of the Mughal rulers.

Although an official ban on showing Indian movies has not been lifted, a nod from the Pakistani president, General Pervez Musharraf, opened the way for the screenings, Pakistani officials said.

The officials did not comment on why "Taj Mahal" and "Mughal-e- Azam" were selected. But some people here have suggested that the films were approved for screening because they focus on Muslim history and do not touch on current events.

The decision to show the films "comes as a special gesture by President Musharraf," Syed Jalil Abbas, the culture secretary, said in April.

Fans like Ali Khan, 21, and his friend Sara Khan, 18, giddily welcomed that gesture. On April 26, they stood near the red carpet outside the Plaza Cinema here, where they had come in the hopes of seeing their favorite stars arrive for the premiere of "Taj Mahal."...

Pirated DVDs and CDs of Indian movies and music are easily available here, and their stars are household names. The movies, with their catchy songs and glittering dance numbers, are beloved in Pakistan, as they are across much of Southeast Asia and parts of Africa. Posters of Indian actresses are plastered across stores here that sell the pirated DVDs, and over the back windows of commuter vans. The movies are in Hindi, easily understood in Pakistan.

Pakistan and India, nuclear-armed neighbors and rivals, have shared a history of mistrust and antagonism since they were carved out of the British Empire in 1947. The ban on showing Indian movies was put into place when the countries were in the midst of one of three major wars, two of them fought over the still-disputed northern region of Kashmir.

But in recent years, signs of warmer relations have emerged...

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