Pakistan needs to form a policy for its film industry: Shaan

Shaan Shahid, arguably the most famous film actor in Pakistan, has asserted the need for having a government policy for the entertainment industry, emphasizing the role cinema plays in fifth-generation warfare, as well as in preserving and spreading culture. 

Talking to Baaghi TV’s correspondent Faaiz Chughtai, Shaan stated that it was time that the government paid some attention to its entertainment industry and formulated a proper policy for it, reining in all stakeholders, from drama channel owners to film producers. “It’s really important for a policy to be formulated on how we can own new frontiers,” he said. “We need to look for new markets where we can export our films.”

He further stated that locally, too, Pakistan’s entertainment industry is undergoing numerous issues and it’s on the government to gather all concerned parties, discuss its protection and form a policy for it. “In every nation, there is a policy for the entertainment industry. The governments keep changing but the policy remains,” he said. “We need a policy for us, and the people need to know it too. We can develop and expand greatly in the international market with proper focus. Locally, too, producers have a huge opportunity to develop their films.”

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He further criticized the existing policies, stating that it was hard to tell what kind of policies they were and whom they benefitted. “We are soldiers of culture,” he said. “We need to see what is entertainment’s role in the fifth-generation warfare and eliminate it.”

He went on to say that he had many plans, and if Pakistan launched its own Over-The-Top (OTT) platform similar to Netflix and HBO Max, he would be the first to produce a film on it. “Cinemas have suffered greatly during coronavirus. Everything is open, from restaurants to shops, so it’s unfair that cinemas be the only thing that remain closed. Everyone, every businessman is being accommodated and filmmakers also need relief,” he said.

Shaan also stated that the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) could be a doorway towards cross-culture films, and movies needed to be made featuring both cultures, representing the friendship of the two nations. “Cultural deals are necessary with China, Russia,” he said. “Art is what tells you the inner workings of any culture.”

“We brought PTI with great hopes and expectations,” he said. “And we are still holding onto that hope.”

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