'Khosla Ka Ghosla' invited to Kara filmfest in Karachi

New Delhi, Nov 16: The Pakistani fascination for Indian films, especially Bollywood, continues! In what could indicate continuance of Indo-Pak exchanges on the cultural level, notwithstanding political bitterness, the Anupam Kher Boman Irani-starrer 'Khosla Ka Ghosla' and Tanuja Chandra's 'Hope and a Little Sugar' have been invited for screening at the forthcoming Kara film festival, to be held from December 7 in Karachi.

The invitation to 'Khosla Ka Ghosla' and 'Hope and a Little Sugar' for screening at the sixth edition of the festival is part of an endeavour by the festival authorities to provide a platform to experienced as well as new film makers from India and Pakistan to exhibit their creative talent and at the same time learn from each other, sources in the UTV, the producers of the film, said.

Expressing elation at the Pakistani invitation for 'Khosla Ka Ghosla', Ronnie Screwvala of UTV said,''Khosla Ka Ghosla is a simple story that immediately connects with the human heart thus breaking all physical boundaries. We are hopeful that the film will create the same magic it did with the Indian audiences at the festival.

The invitation to the Kara film festival is another feather in the cap for 'Khosla Ka Ghosla, which also features in its cast Parveen Dabas, Ranvir Shorey, Tara Sharma, Vinay Pathak and Naveen Nischol. The film had earlier this year received acclaim at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France.

Also invited to the Kara film festival this year is Director Tanuja Chandra's English film 'Hope and a Little Sugar'.

The film, which is based on the aftermath of 11 September attacks in the US, recently won the best feature film award at the South Asian Film Festival held recently in New York and was also screened at various international film festivals.

The Pakistan invitation to 'Khosla Ka Ghosla' and 'Hope and a Little Sugar' is yet another endeavour in the direction of art and art-related activities acting as an instrument in bringing the two nations together, following the recently-held South Asian film festival in the capital which screened many Pakistani films while bringing Indian and Pakistani artistes and filmmakers on a common platform.

In recent years, the Kara film festival in Karachi has become an excellent platform for Indian filmmakers to showcase their venture to the people in the neighbouring country. In the past, films like Pooja Bhatt's 'Paap', 'Rog' and 'Holiday', Nagesh Kukunoor's 'Hyderabad Blues 2' and 'Iqbal', Ashwani Chaudhry's 'Dhoop', Vishal Bhardwaj's 'Maqbool', Vinta Nanda's 'White Noise', Rajat Kapoor's 'Raghu Romeo' and Anupam Kher's 'Maine Gandhi Ko nahin Mara' have been screened at the film festival.

Infact, filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor received the best Director award for 'Iqbal' while Anupam Kher bagged the best actor award for 'Maine Gandhi ko Nahin Mara' at the Kara film festival last year.

Regardless of relations between the two countries at the political or diplomatic level, the Indian Cinema and its films have always been appreciated and welcomed in neighbouring Pakistan. Over the years, crowded lanes and 'mohallas' of Lahore have buzzed with songs from Bollywood blockbusters though two in ones or gramophones, while pirated VCDs of latest Bollywood blockbusters are a usual feature in towns of Karachi and Lahore.

UNI