Indian movies Mughal-e-Azam and Taj Mahal generated lukewarm response from the cinemagoers in Pakistan despite the grand premier, a huge publicity campaign and even the presence of leading Indian film stars failed to attract audiences. The movies were released in Lahore and Karachi last week and flopped in the box office.

The producers blame the pirated CDs trade and the illegal movie screenings on cable for the failure to attract the crowds as both the Indian movies have been illegally shown by cable TV and the pirated CDs are also easily available.

People who have already seen the film will not like to spend money to see it again. “This would go for both foreign and local films,” he explained. The release has blown away the notion that the people of Pakistan were dying to see Indian movies on the big screen.