With new concepts in mind, Sohail Khan aims at reviving Lollywood

By Ghulam Hussain

Producer Sohail Khan is all set to introduce new trends in Pakistani cinema. He is committed to promoting Pakistani talent through new concepts of films, with the aim to give a new lease of life to Lollywood.

Earlier, Sohail Khan, with Indian collaboration, produced five films 'Nazar', 'Killer', 'Awarapan', 'Jashan' and 'Jannat', some of which were also screened in Pakistan.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Times, Khan said after Ramazan this year, he would take his latest venture 'Shor Sharaba' on sets, for which a six-man crew from India is also scheduled to arrive, including the director, Husnain Haiderabadia.

The film, he explained, would be a comedy, the theme of which was against caste system. Composer Zulfikar Ali has composed the music, which has been recorded in Pakistan, while instrumental arrangements had been completed in Mumbai.

Khan said the pre-production work of the film, the music and script were all ready, and they were ready to start shooting. He said he had kept this project on hold on for some time due to financial constraints. He also claimed that 99 percent Pakistani films never recovered their investment. "Now there are two things: either I should control the budget or compromise. But I have to save myself from the losses," he added.

Khan said there was no professional producer in Pakistan, instead films were made from someone else's money, "but I have my own production company and I have to make a film myself with my own money". He stressed he was looking for ways to recover the investment from 20 cinemas after the film releases, adding that he was trying his best to make a high-quality film at par with Indian movies. He said he wished to release his film in India also.

Elaborating further, Khan said he wanted to make a film that appeals to every strata of society. He said he was committed to promoting Pakistani films and talent across the world.

He said he was not in favour of Indian films being screened in Pakistan, adding that if the local film industry churned out even 15 films, there would be no need of Indian films here.