Aghan filmmaker Abdul Latif Ahmadi says that his country has taken to Indian films and television soaps in a big way.
PANAJI: Aghan filmmaker Abdul Latif Ahmadi says that his country has taken to Indian films and television soaps in a big way.
"Aghanis do not bother if the content is not dubbed into local language because they understand 70 per cent of it. Women love to watch the trials and tribulations of 'tulsi' and 'prerna' (popular characters of Balaji soaps kyun ki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi and kasauti zindagi ki respectively), Ahmadi, who is the director of Afghan Film, the government run film finance company said here.
Before the Taliban took over Afghanistan, Amitabh Bachchan, Sunil Dutt have visited the country to shoot their films, Ahamadi recalled stating that two years ago, Kabir Khan shot his 'Kabul Express' in the rugged terrains of Afghanistan.
"Aamir Khan was also supposed to come to Afghanistan for a film shooting. But, I am not aware what happened to his visit.
Afghanis have a special place for Indians in their hearts. Both our societies have retained their unique cultural distinctiveness throughout," he said.
Two of Ahmadi's films 'Akthar-the Joker' and 'Stoning' will be screened at the South Asian Film Festival (SAFF) beginning today, being held in Goa for the first time.
He said 'Stoning' was about the situation faced by women during the Mujhadeen rule.
Speaking about Afghan Film, he said it was a government institution funding independent filmmakers to make feature films, documentaries.
"We have a budget of $ 400,000 from the government. In the ten years of Taliban rule, any kind of film and cultural activity was banned. Now, there is a free market economy and filmmaking has entered a new phase where independent filmmakers are doing extremely well for themselves," he said.
Ahmadi said 'Afghan Film' supports cinema and documentaries with an intellectual appeal focussing on the reconstruction process of the country and not mainstream commercial films.
"Every year about 30 to 40 films are being made. Afghan films are creating waves in the international festival circuits and the recent example being 'Ashes and Earth'", he said.
He said there were two kinds of cinema thriving in Afghanistan-mainstream comprising action and melodrama and the other being message driven social themes.
Apart from Osama, Stoning and Akhtar-the Joker, the other Afghanistan entries in the South Asian Film Festival being held in Goa are--Sacrifice, Stranger and Gul Chairah.
"These films portray the different facets of Afghani society and gives the audience a peak into emotions of the people," he added.
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