Would Have Loved To Shoot In Pakistan: Filmistaan Director
News
oi-IANS
By Ians English
Lack
of
resources
and
complications
related
to
filming
in
Pakistan
kept
first-time
Indian
director
Nitin
Kakkar
away
from
shooting
his
National
Award
winning
saga
Filmistaan
which
uses
Bollywood
to
bind
India
and
Pakistan.
The
movie,
which
released
in
India
June
6,
has
been
lauded
critically
and
commercially.
But
Kakkar
still
wishes
he
had
got
a
chance
to
shoot
the
movie
in
Pakistan
too.
There
was
always
an
effort
to
collaborate
with
Pakistan
in
"some
way" on
the
film.
"We
shot
the
whole
film
in
20
days.
We
didn't
have
anybody
from
Pakistan
while
shooting
the
film
but
(Pakistani
singer)
Shafqat
Amanat
Ali
Khan
has
sung
for
the
film.
We
are
glad
we
worked
with
him
because
in
some
way
we
wanted
to
collaborate
with
Pakistan,"
Kakkar
said.
Khan
crooned
'Bhugol' and
'Bol'
for
the
Sharib
Hashmi
and
Inaamulhaq-starrer,
but
had
matters
been
in
Kakkar's
hands,
he
would've
taken
his
crew
and
shot
the
movie
Filmistaan
across
the
border.
"We
would
love
to
visit
Pakistan;
but
that's
the
reason
for
making
the
film.
It's
very
difficult
to
visit
Pakistan.
I
would
have
loved
to
shoot
the
film
in
Pakistan
but
you
know
how
times
are.
It's
not
easy
for
a
small
film
like
ours.
We
coudn't
afford
to
get
stuck
even
for
two
days.
We
did
our
shooting
in
Bikaner
(Rajasthan)
and
researched
in
Mumbai," said
Kakkar.
The
going
wasn't
easy
for
the
crew
at
all.
It
took
the
filmmaker
about
10
months
to
make
the
movie
and
by
2012
it
was
ready
to
hit
the
screens,
but
he
had
no
funds
to
release
it.
"We
had
the
money
to
make
the
film,
not
to
release
it.
The
cost
of
production
is
less
but
the
cost
of
releasing
is
a
lot
more.
We
are
nobodys,
so
it's
difficult
for
a
film
like
that.
To
make
our
film
visible
in
the
industry
takes
time," Kakkar
said.
The
movie,
Filmistaan
presented
by
Shringar
Film
Pvt.
Ltd.
and
UTV
Spotboy,
won
the
best
feature
film
in
Hindi
title
at
the
60th
National
Film
Awards
2012,
the
Silver
Crow
Pheasant
Award
for
best
debut
film
at
the
International
Film
Festival
of
Kerala
and
a
special
jury
mention
at
the
2012
Busan
International
Film
Festival.
The
comedy-drama
managed
to
mint
over
Rs.3
crore
in
the
four
days
since
its
release,
but
didn't
reach
audiences
in
Pakistan.
But
the
director
hopes
to
make
it
happen
some
day.
"We
are
looking
at
a
Pakistani
release.
We're
in
conversation
with
distributors
there
and
the
censor
board.
We're
trying
to
show
them
the
film
and
hopefully
get
it
released
because
I
really
feel
the
film
should
be
shown
on
both
sides
of
the
border," said
the
director
of
the
film,
which
has
also
received
thumbs
up
from
celebrities
like
Amitabh
Bachchan
and
Vidhu
Vinod
Chopra.
The
Central
Board
Of
Film
Certification
in
India
shares
a
similar
opinion.
"The
censor
board
has
been
a
darling
with
me.
They
were
overwhelmed
by
the
film.
They
told
me
that
they
want
the
world
to
see
it.
I
feel
blessed.
I
don't
think
the
censor
board
is
a
big
issue.
For
me,
it
was
a
great
experience
with
the
censor
board.
They
gave
my
film
a
'U'
certificate
without
a
single
cut,"
Filmistaan
director
said.