Most of the feature films shot in Pakistan are in Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, but may also include films in English, the official language, and regional languages such as Punjabi, Sindhi, Balochi and Pashto. Lahore was the epicentre of Pakistani film industry - Lollywood.
Pakistani film industry has many achievements. The films not only did well in Pakistan, but in other countries as well, such as India, whose film industry was considered the biggest rival of its Pakistani counterpart. 60s is considered to be the golden age of Pakistani cinema. Many A-stars were introduced during this time and became legends of the silver screen. As black and white cinema became obsolete, Pakistan saw the introduction of colour films. In that decade, Pakistani film industry produced legendary actors like Syed Kamal, Waheed Murad, Muhammad Ali, and Nadeem. These actors did a great job and entertained the nation with their realistic acting. In 1966, film ‘Armaan’ was released and became one of the most cherished accomplishments of the industry. It is said to have given birth to Pakistani pop music as it introduced playback singing legends – composer Sohail Rana and Ahmad Rushdi. The film became the first to complete 75-weeks screenings at cinema houses throughout the country attaining a platinum status.
Unfortunately, the golden age did not last long and the downfall of Pakistan film industry began. Due to the lack of budget, our movies lagged behind Bollywood movies, which resulted in a shift of public interest from Pakistani media to Indian media. Having a bigger audience and more financial resources, Indian movies completely outclassed Pakistani movies.
Now, the Pakistani film industry has once again shown signs of growth; many movies have been released and have managed to do decent business. Some of these new movies were also appreciated globally. I hope the Pakistani film industry generates successful movies, and I also request the public to show support for the industry by watching local movies.
SYED MUHAMMAD AHSAN ALI,
Karachi, September 14.