LAHORE: Former Pakistan Film Producers Association chairman and incumbent chairman of the Distribution Club Sheikh Amjad Rasheed has announced that his group will produce three movies this year.
Mr Rasheed, in a conversation with Dawn, stated that a foreign film and a Pakistani movie are scheduled for release by the group on Feb 16.
Mr Rasheed, who has been importing foreign films and involved in local productions for many years, said that three new Pakistani movies will go into production this year.
These include “Mango Jutt,” starring Faisal Qureshi and Hareem Farooq, “Wrong No 3” (cast yet to be finalised), and “Nargisi Koftay,” starring Sheheryar Munawar and Mahira Khan.
He also said that the Distribution Club would release two films on February 16: “Taxali Gate,” a Pakistani movie, and “Jeevey Sohneya Jee,” a foreign film.
The anticipation for Director Abu Aleeha’s upcoming film ‘Taxali Gate,’ starring Ayesha Omar and Yasir Hussain, has been massive.
When asked about the shift of film production from Lahore to Karachi, Mr Rasheed responded, “A time came when films were being produced in Lahore after the names of proclaimed offenders.
The violence in cinemas and an absence of thought process when it comes to filmmaking made things worse for producing quality films in Lahore.”
About the lack of film academies for training new talent, Rasheed said that the Pakistan Film Policy introduced in 2007 had not been implemented in its true letter and spirit.
The policy included provisions for establishing a film academy and various measures for promoting Pakistani cinema.
He said of late there has not been much craze of going to cinemas and watching films because Pakistan producers were not producing many films.
He emphasized the need to produce more films and, importantly, quality films.
To encourage cinema-goers to watch movies, he has offered a 50 percent discount on tickets until Eidul Fitr at his four cinemas located in Sargodha, Sahiwal, Mandi Bahauddin, and Burewala.
Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2024
