ABDULLAH MUGHAL

LAHORE: Many people in the provincial capital are expecting strong scripts and good chorography in the upcoming four Lollywood movies on Eidul Fitr today (Saturday) after the federal government and a group of cinema owners decided in principal to partially ban Indian movies for promoting the Pakistani films.

The much-anticipated Pakistani movies which include "7 Din Mohabat In, Na Band Na Baraati, Azaadi and Wajood" are likely to release on the eve of Eidul Fitr. The film '7 Din Mohabat In' is loosely based on an urban legend about a man who died of heartbreak and whose spirit haunted Dwarka Mansion in Karachi. His spell on every eligible bachelor who came to stay at the building meant that none of them would ever be able to marry.

The film 'Na Band Na Baraati' sheds light on the lives of Pakistani families settled in Canada. Mikaal and Shayan reboot the old-school Bollywood siblings' story where the elder brother is typically the suave nice guy who fends for the entire family while the younger one is impudent and reckless. The pitch of the movie suggests that conflicts and comic situations arise when the latter finds out that the girl he is dying to hook up with is the object of someone else's (Ali Kazmi) affection.

The pitch of film Azaadi tells the tale of an old man (Nadeem Baig) who has dedicated his life fighting for the Kashmir cause, and how his mission is carried forward by a young freedom fighter (Moammar Rana). The romance angle is provided by a British journalist (Sonya Hussyn) in the movie.

Likewise, the pitch of movie Wajood says that a Pakistani airline pilot (Danish Taimoor) from Greece returns home for holidays, only to fall for a girl who is committed to someone else. But he isn't willing to let go of her.

A youngster, Hamza Akbar, while talking to Business Recorder said he was he really annoyed at the decision of cinema owners and the government for barring Indian movies to dazzle the screens during Eid holidays. But after some time, I realized that it was a great move to support local film industry which needs serious attention, he added.

However, Hamza expressed strong reservations over the quality of script and chorography and said the movies makers or script writers should first produce good scripts if it really wanted to compete with the Indian. "The movie must be awesome."

"The Indian film industry is good at making action movies while the lollywood has many good script writers who can help Pakistan to achieve higher ranks," he said, regretting that Pakistani film industry always experienced budget constraints.

Asad Ali, another youngster, said he is desperately awaiting the release of movie '7 Din Mohabat In' after seeing its trailer on the internet. Recalling the success of Pakistani movie Jawani Phir Nahi Ani, he expressed the hope that this movie will break all history records.

"Our film industry should flourish and we should support it," he said, and demanded from the caretaker and the coming government to ensure movie tickets of all cinemas for Rs 200 each for the revival of industry. It may be noted that the previous government had decided to streamline tickets of all cinemas at Rs 200 each but the decision could not be implemented.