Pakistan amongst the top five overseas Bollywood markets

Pakistan amongst the top five overseas Bollywood markets

Bollywood superstars Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan and Amir Khan not only rule the Indian box-office, they also have a huge fan base in Pakistan. As per the experts, Pakistan is now one of the top five overseas markets for the Bollywood industry.

Previously Pakistan had put a ban on the Indian films but it was lifted in 2006 and since then Indian films are doing a great business at Pak box-office. Amir Khan’s ‘3 idiots’, Shahrukh Khan’s ‘My Name is Khan’ and Salman Khan’s ‘Bodyguard’ racked in Rs 5 crore, Rs 5.25 crore and Rs 6 crore respectively across the border. Moreover, Shahrukh Khan’s latest movie ‘Don 2 – The King is Back’ is expected to set a new record by crossing Rs 7.25 crore mark.

Currently Australia is the biggest Bollywood market overseas but after looking at the growing business in Pakistan, it is being believed that Pakistan will soon rival Australia.

Mahesh Ramanathan of Reliance Entertainment, who taps the Pakistan market and Amrita Pandey of UTV Motion Pictures also believe the same about Pakistan.

Ramanathan said, “We have been at the forefront of the rapidly expanding market in Pakistan for Hindi films with ‘3 Idiots’, ‘Bodyguard’ and ‘Don 2’ setting new marks there. The screen count is set to increase in two to three years, he added, and “Pakistan can rival a major international market like Australia for Hindi films.”

Pandey stated, “With 50 Hindi films releasing there every year, Pakistan figures in the top five of the international markets.”

Meanwhile, Riffat Siddiqi, who is one of the most well-known distributors in Pakistan, told the media that in the last few years the entertainment business has grown by 300 percent at the box-office in Pakistan.

Siddiqi, “From the time the market opened up in 2007, Indian films became the source for rebuilding cinema in the country. Within just four years, the entertainment business grew by 300% at the box office.”

Cinema industry in Pakistan has never been looked after in a proper way but as per the new rules every mall which will now open will have a multiplexer in it, which means more business.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=10121

Posted by Imran Shaukat Khan on Jan 23 2012. Filed under Bollywood. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.