KARACHI, Pakistan, Dec 19 : Pakistani movie theaters began screening Bollywood films again on Monday, ending an 11-week boycott in response to political and military tensions with India, theater officials said.
Some theater owners said the restoration was because tension was easing, but others said it was because audiences had dropped so sharply since the boycott that began on Sept. 30.
In Karachi, the Atrium Cinema started with a screening of the Indian sports romantic comedy “Freaky Ali.” Still, the screenings were kept low key, with no publicity posters and scant attendance in theaters visited by Reuters.
Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors and foes have been more fraught than usual since an crackdown by Indian security forces on dissent in Indian-controlled Kashmir began in July.
The tension worsened in September after militants killed 18 soldiers in a raid on an Indian army base, an attack New Delhi blamed on Pakistan.
After exchanges of fire across the Line of Control in Kashmir — claimed by both countries and occupied in part by each — cinema owners announced the boycott.
Pakistan’s state censor soon imposed a ban on Indian content and channels on cable television.
However, the boycott has cost Pakistani cinemas dearly.
“The absence of Bollywood content from theaters resulted in losing over 80 percent of customers,” estimated Khurram Gultasab, general manager at Super Cinemas, which runs 10 cinemas in cities across Pakistan’s Punjab province.
Indian films are popular both at the cinema and on bootlegged DVDs in Pakistan.
“If Bollywood films are not resumed, cinemas will be forced to close down,” Gultasab said.
Nadeem Mandviwalla, whose Mandviwalla Entertainment runs eight cinemas in Karachi and the capital, Islamabad, said the resumption of Bollywood films was a step toward warming relations.
“Someone has to take a step toward bringing normalcy back so we have initiated the process to bring back peace and harmony,” Mandviwalla said.
“As for losses, everyone knows that the suspension (of the boycott) is going to curtail huge losses on both sides.”
Pakistan’s domestic film industry has seen a revival in recent years, but is dwarfed by India’s Bollywood. Pakistani actors have increasingly been appearing in big budget Bollywood films in the past few years.
Pakistani cinemas quietly show Indian films again as tensions ease, losses mount
Pakistani cinemas quietly show Indian films again as tensions ease, losses mount
Small dog sole survivor of Peru helicopter crash that killed 15
- Rescue workers found the caramel-colored dog among the twisted wreckage of the Mi-17 helicopter
- Local media reported that the dog appeared OK, but as a precaution was taken to a veterinary clinic
LIMA: The only survivor of a military helicopter crash in southern Peru that killed 15 people was a small dog belonging to a colonel who was among the passengers, an air force source told AFP Tuesday.
Rescue workers found the caramel-colored dog among the twisted wreckage of the Mi-17 helicopter that crashed Sunday. It was lying next to the body of its owner, Col. Javier Nole, 50, who was on board with his wife and two daughters.
“It’s Col. Nole’s pet; it’s the only survivor,” the source, who requested anonymity, told AFP.
Local media reported that the dog appeared OK, but as a precaution was taken to a veterinary clinic.
Seven children were among the 15 fatalities when the Russian-made aircraft crashed in the Arequipa region. The helicopter had been recently deployed in rescue operations for victims of floods there.
It had taken off from the city of Pisco, in the Ica region. Rescuers located the wreckage on Monday just over 300 kilometers (186 miles) away near Chala Viejo, a town close to the Pacific coast in Arequipa.
The air force has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
