Bangladesh keeps ban on Indian movies
hab...@anony.net
Hinduism,
bbc.co.uk
Bangladeshi film-makers and actors say they have forced the
government to reverse last weekend's decision to allow cinemas to show
Indian films.
Representatives of the film industry complained that the move could
wipe out thousands of jobs.
There has been no official word yet from the government.
But a leading Bangladeshi film star told the BBC that the prime
minister's office had indicated the ban on Indian films would not be
lifted after all.
The star, Razzak, said that a demonstration would not now go ahead as
planned.
Film industry leaders had warned that 25,000 jobs could be in danger
if Bangladeshi cinemas were allowed to show Indian movies.
They were banned in 1972 to protect local film makers and the local
culture.
nuanho nuanho
Sri Lanka’s love for Bollywood
RUCHIKA KHER, IANS, Apr 27, 2010, 12.00am IST
Sri Lankans are huge fans of Bollywood. With the long-drawn battle
with the LTTE over, people of the emerald island are now enjoying the
fantasies Bollywood sells, and encouraging Indian filmmakers to shoot
there too.
“Hindi films are huge here. My father actually learnt Hindi by just
watching Hindi films. That’s how big it is here. Most people here
prefer watching a Hindi film than an English film, even though English
is widely spoken,” Sri Lankan actress Jacqueline Fernandez, who
featured in the Hindi film Aladin, says.
Indian cinema has a large following in the country, with Hindi films
shown in theatres throughout the year. There is at least one shown on
local television almost every day. Amanthi Gunawardena, a student,
says, “Bollywood is very famous here. Many Hindi films release in
theatres and we even watch them on local TV with Sinhalese sub-
titles.”
Posters of Bollywood actresses Madhuri and Aishwarya adorn many shops.
As far as Sri Lankans’ favourite actors are concerned, locals swear by
Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. Currently, Shah Rukh’s My Name Is
Khan is running in one theatre in the city. “We love SRK, I’ve seen
many of his films, like Kal Ho Naa Ho... He is too good. I am fond of
Amitabh Bachchan too,” says Asanka, a shopkeeper.
After the end of the civil war last year, the Sri Lankan government is
aggressively trying to promote the country as an ideal place to shoot
Hindi films. “Hindi films are very popular here and Sri Lanka can
become a good place to shoot,” says George Michael, secretary of the
nation’s tourism minister.
The last Hindi film shot in the country was Ram Gopal Varma’s Agyaat,
which was filmed extensively in the Sigiriya jungles in 2008. In 2004,
Deepa Mehta shot her critically acclaimed Water there. She filmed the
John Abraham-Lisa Ray starrer just outside of Colombo.
Right now, the Sri Lankan capital is gearing up to host the
International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards from June 3-5. “We
need to develop greater association between Sri Lankan cinema and
Indian cinema,” IIFA brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan said in Sri
Lanka when the announcement was made last week.