As tensions rise on the Line of Control between India and Pakistan , a new film that insinuates an Indian hand behind terrorist violence, has set opening day records in Pakistan. Waar, Pakistans biggest film to date, was released in 42 theatres on Eid-al-Adha on October 16. It has already earned its producers Rs.42.6 million in three days and broken the Rs.9-million first day collection record set by Shah Rukh Khans Chennai Express in August. It remains to be seen if the film can eventually recover its steep Rs.250 million budget. Two agents of Indias external intelligence agency R&AW Ramal (Shamoon Abassi) and Laxmi (Meesha Shafi) are shown as instigators behind political murders, suicide bombings and kidnapping. In one scene from the 130-minute movie, terrorists storm a police compound killing commandos. The Indian agents celebrate with a victory dance. The films cheesy conspiracy theory prompted some prominent Pakistani journalists to tweet if it had been scripted by Zaid Hamid, a security analyst who spouts anti-India views on Pakistani channels. Hamid tweeted his approval for the film: The entire patriotic narrative that RAW is backing Khawarij, political traitors and terrorists in Pakistan has been depicted well. #WAAR. Pakistanis have speculated that Waar was partly funded by the Inter Services Public Relations of the Pakistan army. I just found $2 million to cut from our military budget. #Waar, tweeted PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. (One of the films two villains is a politician who resembles Bilawals father, former President Asif Ali Zardari.) The film received mixed response from critics. Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, whose documentary won the first-ever Oscar award for Pakistan, tweeted: #waar has cliches but so do Indian movies v go 2 c- whether you like the film or not, watch it for the sake of supporting local talent. The films producer, Bilal Lashari, has denied any financial support from the Pakistan army. In an interview to The Tribune, the films action director and writer, Dr Hassan Rana, said Major General Asim Bajwa, the director general, ISPR, had only helped in background research on the film. He helped us understand the battlefield psychology of the soldiers and the enemy, Rana says of Major General Bajwa, who recently commanded an infantry division in Waziristan.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 14:05:47 +0000
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