Promote Pakistaniyat, don't copy Bollywood- Imran Khan

Pakistan's prime minister Imran Khan has urged the country's filmmakers to focus on creating new and original content instead of just blatantly imitating Bollywood adding that Pakistaniyat should be promoted. Speaking at a film festival in Islamabad, Khan said that mistakes were made initially as the Pakistani film industry was "influenced" by Bollywood, resulting in a culture that continued the practice of copying and adopting another nation's culture. Khan said that the country is misrepresented as "soft" due to a sense of inferiority and defensiveness ranging back to the so-called 'war on terror'. "The world respects those who respect themselves," said Khan.

"I want to say to young filmmakers is that according to my experience of the world, only originality sells -- the copy has no value," Imran Khan said. He further emphasised the importance of originality and urged the Pakistani film industry to come up with new ways of thinking. Referring to the influence of Hollywood and Bollywood in Pakistan's popular culture, Imran Khan said people in the country do not purportedly watch local content unless it has a commercial spin. "So my (advice) to young filmmakers is to bring your own original thinking and don't fear failure," he said.