The End for ‘eternal’ Taj Mahal after only a week in Pakistan

LAHORE: The lukewarm response to the historical Indian film Taj Mahal has compelled its maker Akbar Khan to pull it off the Pakistani cinema screens only a week after it was released with great pomp and show. 

Taj Mahal, the eternal love story and much talked about film was premiered in Lahore and Karachi on April 26 and 27 respectively.

However, hardly a week later, it was none other than Akbar Khan himself who decided to pull it off from the cinema screens since the owners of these cinemas were badly taken aback by the poor response of the Pakistani audience. Akbar Khan had struck a deal with the cinema owners to show the movie for four weeks.

However, to their sheer disappointment, the flick could not manage even a week of good business, thus making the cinema owners feel uneasy and asking Akbar Khan to review the deal.

Interestingly, the biggest proponents for screening of Indian films in Pakistani cinemas were the same cinema owners who were positive about the fact that Indian movies were sure to pull the audiences from their homes to the theatres.

Yet, facts reveal that Taj Mahal could not even manage to a full theatre either in Lahore or in Karachi on the very first show after the premier. The film could do a business of only 1.5 lakh rupees in the Plaza cinema of Lahore and a business of 1.7 lac rupees in the Bambino cinema of Karachi against an estimated revenue generation of 5.0 lakh and 7.0 lakh rupees respectively.

In the words of Akbar Khan, dark forces in Bollywood did not want his movie to be successful at box office and he had to pull the film out of cinemas a week after the release.

“My film was the talk of India. It got big reviews and the moment I announced a dozen other filmmakers also came on scene. A Canadian filmmaker had started making the film on Imax format, taking Ashwariya Rai as female lead. That project and others were shelved. But I made it because of my zeal. But some influential people in the Bollywood were not happy with whatever I was doing”, he said.

Talking to the film reporters in Lahore the other day, Akbar said he would re-release the moview in Pakistan with a gap now. He said he had released Taj Mahal in India through a platform, which was not sincere.

“The platform simply failed on the selection of proper theatres and show time. The publicity campaign could not take off. There was a deliberate sabotage and I was left shocked. Millions of printed posters and campaign items could not hit the streets. Subsequently, I have decided to he pull back the film from the local cinemas in Pakistan with a plan to release it later after doing the proper ground work.”

“It happens in entertainment industry. It happened with Braveheart and recently it happened with Cinderella Man, which had to be pulled out and released after three months”, he averred.  About the ugly incident in Lahore in which his elder brother became the centre of controversy for remarks against Pakistan, Akbar Khan said a single incident should not be considered.

“I do not want to do psychoanalysis of my brother. My delegation came to Pakistan with very good intentions and utmost sincerity. The reception has been amazing. We have been to Cannes, Montreal, Moscow, Toronto and many festivals and events around the world. Where in the world will you have a culture minister receiving us with garlands and rose petals? We are all flabbergasted by the respect and honour bestowed upon us.” “It could have been a slip of tongue and misinterpreted. We as delegation ask for forgiveness”, Khan said.