Pak entertainment | despardes.com

DEC 1: Now that Taj Mahal has been released in India and overseas, besides winning appreciation from none other than the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, its producer and director Akbar Khan is now keen to release the multi-crore historical in Pakistan.

A print of the film will be dispatched to the President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, in the next few days, says an Indian news report.

�I am keen to release the film in Pakistan since we share the same culture. Besides, the story is set during an era when India wasn�t divided,� Akbar Khan confirms the development, continuing in the same breath, �We are going through the diplomatic channels. The P.M.O. [Prime Minister�s Office] is helping us in our endeavor. Dr. Singh�s lavish words of praise have given us the encouragement of exploring the film even in areas where Indian films don�t see a release.�

Akbar Khan is brother of Bollywood actors Feroze Khan & Sanjay Khan.

Muhammad Ajmal Khan, federal minister for culture and sports is on record having said "a decision on the release of Indian films in Pakistan would be taken according to Pakistani law, saying that there was a criterion about the screening of Indian films in Pakistan and the films, which fulfilled that criterion, would be allowed release."

So it is any body's guess whether Taj Mahal will be screened in Pakistan or not.

According to one Pakistani, Musharraf can overrule for sake of Taj Mahal. "It's worth watching it. After all it's based on the Mughal dynasty, no? Plus Musharraf himself with his wife strolled and took pictures, so why can't we see the Taj Mahal movie."

Earlier attempts to screen previously produced Taj Mahal in Pakistan failed. But recent successful confidence building measures may facilitate such a screening, says one analyst.

In the meantime, the Indian film-maker isn�t disillusioned by the box-office response to his film. �Didn�t Pakeezah and Sholay start on a slow note? I�m sure, Taj Mahal will grow with word of mouth in days to come. In fact, the second weekend was quite steady, in fact almost the same as the first weekend. That clearly indicates that the film is growing,� Akbar adds.

Another news report says two Muslim organizations in India Thursday said that they would file a public interest litigation (PIL) against filmmaker Akbar Khan for allegedly distorting history in the recently released "Taj Mahal- An Eternal Love Story".

"Akbar Khan has distorted history in his 'Taj Mahal'. And the portrayal of characters are simply not in accordance with Muslim culture and sentiments," said Mohammad Sajid, president of the All India Minorities Lawyers' Association (AIMLA) to IANS - an Indian news agency.

"To protest the negative depiction of Noorjahan's character, we have decided to file a PIL against Akbar Khan in Delhi High Court," Sajid told reporters.

Sajid, who is also a Supreme Court lawyer, said that his organization was in touch with other Muslim bodies and the PIL would be filed by Dec 5.

All Ulema Council president Mohammad Arif Al-Hussaini said the filmmaker should have read history properly before making a period film.

"The depiction of Noorjahan's illicit relationship with Mohabbat Khan is outrageous and far removed from history. The filmmaker should have read history before making a film on such a great subject.

"The character that he has distorted in his movie is very respected and the filmmaker should have handled it more sensitively," Al-Hussaini said.

He said lovemaking scenes in the movies were also objectionable.

"It's a marketing gimmick and Akbar Khan made it insensitively just to make some quick money. It's full of nudity and against our cultural ethos," he alleged.