After successful screenings at the Tribeca and Seattle film festivals, director Mehreen Jabbar's poignant drama played at the on-going Osian's-Cinefan film festival in Delhi over the weekend.
PPC was hoping to release the film day-and-date with Pakistan on August 1, which would have been a first for a Pakistani film in India. However a roadblock with the Indian censor board is likely to delay the release.
Ashok Ahuja, director IPR Management, PPC said: 'Producer Javed Jabbar, Mehreen's father, approached us after the success of Shoaib Mansoor's Khuda Kay Liye. We have the distribution, music, marketing and promotion rights for Ramchand Pakistani for India and would like a reasonable lead time to promote the film, once we get the all-clear from the censors. We are still hoping for a day-and-date release.'
The film, about an eight-year-old boy who accidentally strays across the border between Pakistan and India, stars Rashid Farooqi, Fazal Hussain and Indian actress Nandita Das.
Another Pakistani film Salaakhein was also released in India after Khuda Kay Liye's unexpected success, however it failed to make an impression at the box office.
Ahuja says: 'Khuda Kay Liye grossed about $1.6m (Rs70m) in theatrical release in India and is already in the topthree on the home video circuit.' PPC has now signed on director Mansoor for a Hindi film set in India featuring Indian and Pakistani actors which is currently in the scripting stage.
No comments yet