KaraFilm Festival Ends | DesPardes.com

DEC 13: Increased art and cultural exchanges between India and Pakistan will lead to a 'speedy resolution of disputes', Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the award ceremony of the 5th KaraFilm festival at PAF museum in Karachi, Musharraf said, "I like to see disputes resolved quickly so that more interaction can take place." He added that it was a 'pleasure' to see the large number of Indian artists who participated.

Noting that art and culture in Pakistani society have deteriorated over the past 20 years because of a perception that they did not fall in line with religious norms, Musharraf said his government intended to promote them. He emphasized the need for projecting a soft image of Pakistan and hoped that KaraFilm Festival's spirit of collaboration would resuscitate cinema in Pakistan.

�By soft image I mean its culture, sports and tourism,� he said, adding that this was exactly what the government was trying to do. He pointed out that a few days ago he attended the Rafi Peer Theatre in Lahore.

�I saw an excellent fusion of the East and West in art and music where they showed Norwegian women�s group performing side-by-side with Goonga Sain, a dholak performer of Lahore. I saw a Qawwali performance simultaneously with performances by a French Group�.

President Musharraf said it was art and music, which acted as an integrative force nationally and internationally.

The president said he believed that integration with other countries in performing arts with was encouraging.

He said that film, music and drama were inherent cultural features of any civilized society.

The president pointed out that in the 1980s and 1990s art had remained stagnant and artists were discouraged.

�I strongly believe that whatever form of art we become involved in, whatever culture we depict, we must protect our own values, culture and heritage.� General Musharraf said that the country needed to encourage art but it should also maintain a balance in all these activities. There wasn�t any lack of talent in Pakistan.

At the festival, the best film award went to 'Gilaneh', an Iranian film and the lead actress, Fatemeh Motamed Arya, won the best actress award.

Among the Indians to win awards at the festival were Anupam Kher (best actor), Nagesh Kukunoor (best director for 'Iqbal'), Shweta Prasad (best female actress in a supporting role) and Sudhir Mishra, Ruchi Narain and Shivkumar Subramaniam (best original screenplay) for 'Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'.

Daler Mehndi returns to India

DEC 13: Pop singer Daler Mehndi returned to India after a three-day visit to Pakistan to attend a wedding in Islamabad.

He visited Pervaiz Mehdi�s house in Lahore and inaugurated a music studio owned by Ghulam Abbas, singer Humera Arshad�s brother.

Daler Mehndi also met Film and TV Journalists� Association officials.

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