Sunday, June 6, 2004

Pakistan’s Big B
Aditi Tandon

HE is known as the Amitabh Bachchan of Pakistan. And why not. Ghulam Mohinuddin, who attended the 10^th World Punjabi Conference in Chandigarh recently, has acted in over 300 big banners in Pakistan.

What makes Mohinuddin stand out in the fraternity of Pakistani actors is his proclaimed pro-India stand. In times when no artiste dared speak in favour of India-Pakistan amity, he literally led the campaign for peace on celluloid. Not only has he played on screen over 14 Sikh characters drawn from the stories of Indian writers like Rajinder Singh Bedi, he has also featured as the male lead in many Pakistani films that advocated peace and spurned violence.

He has made a mark in romantic films too. His very first film Mera Naam Mohabbat broke all records in Pakistan and ran in China’s theatres for 18 long years. During the the conference, he took out time to voice his passion for Indian films, stars and scripts.

"It would be foolish on my part not to acknowledge the genius of Amitabh Bachchan. I wish I could meet him some day. This is my first visit to India and I think India-Pakistan relations have never been more cordial than they are today, thanks to the peace dialogue initiated by Vajpayee and Musharraf. I hope this will give a boost to cinematic collaborations between the two countries. It is my dream to act along with legendary Indian stars."

A great lover of the Punjabi language, Mohinuddin also dwelt upon his Sikh roles. "I am the only Pakistani actor who has played so many Sikh characters. Among the films which became hits are Muthi Bhar Chawal, based on Rajinder Singh Bedi’s story, Sakhi Badshah, and Jeewa. All these stories are unique as they stressed the need to preserve a common heritage of East and West Punjab," says Mohinuddin.

Largely appreciative of Indian films and their themes, Mohinuddin feels that anti-Pakistan films are not in good taste at all. "They may have been a fascinating recreation of history, but they did not serve any purpose in the end. They only distanced us further, and maligned our hearts. Many artistes in Pakistan took strong objections to the hate campaign launched against Pakistan in some of the Indian films. I feel war is strictly a matter of history, and it should be left at that. Whether in real or in reel life, war can project nothing but violence. So we should focus on highlighting shared concerns like poverty, or may be shared cultural experiences like sufism."

Though Mohinuddin has worked with all leading Pakistani actresses, he makes a special mention of Babra Sharif, his co star in Mera naam Mohabbat. "As a pair, we set a record in Pakistan and China. The film was a sensitive story of lovers bound by rigid traditions. After that there was no looking back."

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