The Pakistani film industry might just have faced their biggest threat yet: the alarming budget factor. Due to the announcement of Federal and Punjab’s budgets, the film industry – which has always met with a lot of negligence and not has been treated as a priority – has been engaging in quite a commotion as many big names have openly expressed their outrage and disbelief.
“The budget does not resonate with the wishes and demands of the general population,” says the legendary film and television actor Mustafa Qureshi regarding the budget situation. “Not enough importance has been given to the film industry, which has been an integral part of Lahore’s culture for over 100 years.”
Like various other big leagues in the country’s film industry, Qureshi has occasionally managed to interact with the government with the hope of strengthening the industry he is dedicated to but to no avail. He claims that the fate of the industry is at risk due to the lack of clarity of it is the federal government or Punjab government’s responsibility. On the other hand, PML-N distributed Rs 5 billion among Tourism, Human Rights and Ministry of Information but that cannot be said for Qureshi’s industry. Actor Ghulam Mohiuddin has time and again expressed his disappointment over Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) and the Censor Board as well.
Regarding the betterment and revival of the Pakistani film industry, director and producer Javed Raza has proposed that the government should open five-screen cinema in every major city so both sides can earn financial benefits. However, proposals are not as simple as implementation and only time can tell what is
in stored for the declining film industry.
