Dhoom 3 booms after breaking legal barriers in Pakistan

Aamir Khan-starrer ‘Dhoom 3’ ran to packed theatres across Pakistan after the movie was finally released on Friday, crossing over many legal hurdles.

The breakthrough came after two rival media groups reached a settlement under which it was agreed that a part of the revenue generated from Bollywood films would be invested for revival of local films. The opponents of Indians films argue they would sound the death knell for the struggling Pakistani movie industry.

“It was a win-win formula which eventually led to Dhoom 3’s release on Friday,” said producer Sarah Tarin. She said the legal hurdles were result of a petition that a media group had filed to stop screening of Indian movies, citing the threats to local filmmakers.

“An association of producers and distributors agreed to provide screens for screening Pakistani films at the multiplexes as part of the settlement as well,” Tarin told TOI at a special ‘Dhoon 3’ premiere at plush Super Cinema on Lahore’s upscale MM Alam Road.

The premiere attracted the who’s who of Pakistan’s cultural capital on Friday. Swanky cars, including a limousine, ferried film buffs to the theatre and caused traffic snarls till late in the night. People waited for hours at the ticket counters under frosty weather and poor visibility due to fog that has blanketed Lahore over the last few days.

It turned out to be an out-and-out entertainer for the cine-goers, which included couples as well as families and kids. Katrina Kaif’s mesmerising dance performance on the ‘kamli, kamli’ song drew thunderous applause along with improbable stunts and superior cinematography.

Leading distributor Nadeem Mandviwala, who owns multiplexes as well, said the popularity of the film reflected in the collections on day one and makes the film the biggest Bollywood release ever. “It collected Rs I.90 crore on the first day and we expect above Rs 15 crore in revenue. Chennai Express earned Rs 90 lakh on the first day while the biggest Pakistani film in recent times – Waar – earned Rs 1.10 crore on the opening day.”

Tarin said the film was the talk of the town and there were over 1,000 advanced bookings for one show at the multiplex in the heart of Lahore alone. “It is running back to back in Lahore and there is only Dhoom 3. It is dominating all multiplex timings. There are no tickets before Monday.”

A lot of effort went behind the scenes to pave the way for Dhoom 3’s release, as Bollywood films have turned out to be the backbone for the fledgling multiplex and 3D cinema industry in Pakistan. Multiplexes have come up across Pakistan’s big cities in the last few years and they depend entirely on Indian films for their business.

“The Indian films got permission for screening in 2007 as part of then government’s policy to improve relations. This led to multiplex boom,” said film journalist Usman Ghafoor. He said the Indian films have also led to the revival of cinema culture in Pakistan.

The stakes involved with the Bollywood films have gone up and these generate lot of revenue for distributors, cinema owners and even the government. As such, creating hurdles for them are unlikely to succeed in such circumstances,” said Ghafoor.