Aishwarya to challenge Lollywood sensibil

Bride and Prejudice to be screened in Pakistan: Aishwarya to challenge Lollywood sensibilities

By Shoaib Ahmed

LAHORE: Pakistan’s film industry will soon be feeling the vibrations of India’s cinematic presence with the release of Aishwaray Rai’s film ‘Bride and Prejudice’.

The film’s release will definitely scupper the plans of those producers who are aiming to overwhelm audiences with low-budget films. Instead, it is believed that a high-budget film like ‘Bride and Prejudice’ will boost the level of cinematic production in Pakistan. Many view this as a necessary stepping-stone to the co-production of films between India and Pakistan.

The film is scheduled to hit Pakistani cinemas by the end of December, film industry sources told Daily Times on Saturday. Daily Times tried to contact Ms Rai in India but she was unavailable for comment.

Certain groups in Pakistan, however, have opposed the advance of Indian cinema here. Nevertheless, many do support co-productions and the exchange of films between the two countries. They believe that such moves would be beneficial to both the Lollywood and Bollywood film industries.

Daily Times also tried to contact Pooja Bhatt, a staunch supporter of Indian and Pakistani co-productions. She too was unavailable for comment. However, her secretary Merica told this paper that Ms Bhatt would be visiting Pakistan in December to attend the Kara Film festival in Karachi. She will be endorsing her film “Rog”, which had been selected for screening at the festival.

Khaliq Chaudhry, the film’s distributor in Pakistan, said that the film would be released in Pakistan after Eidul Fitr. He said that showbiz circles were excited about the release of the film since it would boost an otherwise stagnant industry. He said that the film would be screened after being censored, adding that it would definitely be released in Pakistan well before Eidul Azha.

Samina Peerzada, a supporter of Indian and Pakistani co-productions, said that the release of ‘Bride and Prejudice’ in Pakistan would be a great moment in the history of Pakistani cinema. She said that she had wanted to cast Ashwariya Rai in a British-based film project but had been asked by the producers to wait and see if Ms Rai could establish herself as an international film star. Mr Peerzada added that she was considering appearing in ‘Piya’ a film by Indian choreographer Ahmed Khan.

Sana, a film actress who also supports co-productions between the two countries, said that ‘Bride and Prejudice’ would have mass audience appeal due to Ms Rai’s starring role. She said that there should be an exchange of films between the two countries, adding that she had recently signed on to ‘Kafla’, and Indian film starring Sunny Deol. Production is expected to begin by the end of December.

‘Bride and Prejudice’ is produced by Miramax and Pathe films, and takes its inspiration from the Jane Austen novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’. The film is a musical romantic comedy. According to one film critic, India is using this vehicle to make the crossover to mainstream western cinema.

The film moves between Amritsar and Goa to London and Beverley Hills. It has a cast of colourful characters, lavish dance sequences, and extravagant costumes.

The cast includes Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson, Daniel Gillies, Naveen Andrews, Namrata Shirodkar, Indira Varma, Nadira Babbar, Anupam Kher, Meghna Kothan, Peeya Rai Rai Chowdhary, Nitin Chandra Ganatra Sonali Kulkami, Ashanti, Marsha Mason and is directed by Gurinder Chadha.