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Cinema
In the recent past many producers from Shashi Ranjan (Dobara) to Yash Chopra (Veer-Zaara) have campaigned for an official commercial release for the films in Pakistan. What tilted the scales in favor of your production Taj Mahal—An Eternal Love Story, resulting in the lifting of the 41-year-old ban on Indian films that followed the 1965 Indo-Pak conflict? I think it was the gravity of the subject and its historical importance that made Taj Mahal a natural choice and so overwhelmed the Pakistani Censors. The sensibilities reflected in the film, the architecture, culture and ethos depicted, even the period of history it covers is common to not just India and Pakistan but Afghanistan and Bangladesh as well because during its reign the Mughal empire spread across all these countries. Also, the Taj Mahal is now a world heritage site and as such its story evokes keen interest across all parts of the globe. So, I'd say it was a mature decision on the part of President Pervez Musharraf and the government of Pakistan to root for a film that can only enhance our Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh's peace initiatives. I'm honored and happy not just for myself but the film industry as a whole because I'm optimistic this move will pave the way for more Hindi films to find a commercial release across the border and this kind of cultural exchange will definitely benefit both countries. Pakistan's thumbs up to Taj Mahal seems to have put you on a collision course with FICCI Chairman Yash Chopra. There was a war of words between you during the conference's closing ceremony? Last year, Mr. Yash Chopra had personally courted the Pakistani delegation. This year he cold-shouldered our foreign guests at the opening and during the closing ceremony stated that despite their assurances given a year earlier, the door is still closed to Indian films across the border. That's not true. Sohni Mahiwal and Mughal-e-Azam were cleared for screening earlier and now Taj Mahal has been passed by both the Pakistani Censors and the government. Their government has to take into consideration the interests of its own film industry but despite strong opposition from certain sections, the door is opening to us, one film at a time, and that has to be applauded. I'd expected more grace and magnanimity from my senior colleague especially when there were others like Mahesh Bhatt who very vocally shared my pride and excitement at the fact that a 41-year-old ban had finally been lifted. To my disappointment and distress Mr. Chopra for whom I had the highest regard, did not even mention my film in his closing speech about Hindi cinema's role in Indo-Pak cultural exchanges stating instead that Veer-Zaara was the first Indian film to be screened in Pakistan. And when corrected asserted that my Rs 60 crore production was too small a film to merit a mention. When making Taj Mahal did you ever imagine that one day you would be taking your film across the border? Yes, I had a feeling even while I was scripting this film that I would not have any problems getting it released in Pakistan because the story of the Taj Mahal is a part of both our great nations. If Shahjehan's mazar is in Agra, then Jehangir's grave is in Lahore. Your films also marked the debut of Sonya Jehan, the granddaughter of Pakistan's reigning singer-actress Noorjehan. Surely, she'll be one of your biggest crowd-pullers across the border? Yes, there's a
lot of expectation in Pakistan centered around Sonya. The grand-daughter of
the Mallika-e-Tarranum playing the Empress of Hindustan is reason enough to
stir up much speculation. I'd say it was the letter I received from the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh who after watching a special show wrote to me saying Taj Mahal was one of the best films he'd seen in recent times. A perfect combination of an entertaining film bringing out the rich ethos of an era gone by. Then, the Turkish Ambassador made a request for a special show at the embassy in Delhi at which he played host to ambassadors from 65 countries including the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Malaysia to name a few. And after the screening all the gathered dignitaries stood up to give me a standing ovation before queuing up to take my autograph. You must have been overwhelmed? I had tears in my eyes. It was one of the greatest moments in my life. Sixty-five ambassadors from countries across the globe queuing up for my signature. The think tank of the country, Moutek Singh Ahluwalia also sent me a congratulatory letter and there were compliments from the General of the Indian Army. And then, one day, when I was waiting to get into my car after a screening, a man on the streets, someone I'd never seen before, came up to me and embraced me saying that he had never seen a film like this. Taj Mahal has touched sections across society and the globe. The film's scheduled to hit the theatres in Pakistan on April 28. The promotional hype surrounding it must be slowly peaking given the massive hype that heralded its unveiling in India? The trailers have started playing in the theatres and the response is tremendous. The electronic promos should be coming on air soon. Right now, I'm planning the film's premieres with my Pakistan-based distributor, Satish Anand of Eveready Pictures. There will be three first shows on April 25, 26, 27 prior to the film's official release. There will be two premieres in Lahore and Karachi and also a special screening for which I have invited the President, Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister. There are talks of you re-releasing the film in India too. Yeah, 3-4 weeks after its release in Pakistan, Taj Mahal will be re-released in India. I don't know if it was callousness, unprofessional or sabotage but I was very unhappy with the way the film was distributed across the country last November. Where do you think your distributors went wrong with their release strategy? To begin with, their selection of show time. At most theatres it was booked on the 11.30 a.m. show that is traditionally considered the weakest and runs empty even when the film is a super hit. Then, except for a couple of multiplexes in some of the metro cities where Taj Mahal was booked for a week or two at the most, my Rs 60 crore epic extravaganza was screened at run-down theatres infested with mosquitoes and bugs, with smelly toilets and poor projection. Many of these cinemas in centers like Agra, Allahabad, Lucknow, Kanpur and Meerut that are receptive to historicals like Taj Mahal, were on the verge of pulling down the shutter or playing C-grade stunt films and re-runs. I released my film with 400 prints and only 110 prints were engaged with one print shuttling between several theatres in many centers. What's worse, I had sent my distributors Rs 1 crore worth of vinyls to plaster the town with a week or two before the release. When I called back the prints, the godown owners sent back the vinyls, still packed and sealed. Given the fact that Mukta Arts is a public limited company, I had expected a more professional approach. I would have appreciated had I been told that they were not confident of handling the film on an all-India basis. I would have pushed back the release or given the job to someone else. But to do this to one man's sweat and blood is unforgivable. Today, I'm made more aware of my error in judgment when I see the company releasing its own films through outside distributors. Given the glowing reviews the film got and the five nominations at the Star-Screen Awards, Taj Mahal deserves a better release. You recently announced another magnum opus, Chengis Khan. Will you be collaborating with any of the Pakistani producers you met as part of the delegation to FICCI recently, on the multi-crore project? Chengis Khan is an international film with a huge canvas. The idea is to prove to the Hollywood market that we can produce an English film with American actors n India. There are a number of big companies who are wanting equity shares in the project and I might collaborate with them without giving them the label of co-producers because I like my own brand name and will never brook any kind of creative interference. April 2, 2006 The Week of April 2, 2006
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Producer-director
Akbar Khan reveals his plans for Taj Mahal—The Eternal Love Story's
Pakistan release and its re-release in India subsequently. The film hits
the theatres across the border on April 28 and will make a comeback to
cinemas across the country 3-4 weeks later. 
