Published: The Express Tribune Blogs
By: Ravi Nitesh
The screen came to
light and the hall in Taj Hotel, New Delhi, was suddenly filled with loud
echoes of applause. Sitting in a corner, I also participated in the emotional
event, clapped with all my heart and tried to gather all the thoughts going
through my head. I couldn’t believe that such a great step was being taken
during my lifetime.
Team
members of the Zee Zindagi channel and Imran Abbas, a
Pakistani actor, accompanied by Sultana Siddiqui, a Pakistani director, were
attending a video conference with a gathering of bloggers from Delhi. Imran was
in Mumbai and he spoke to bloggers and Indian media-related people alike from
there with regards to the new Indian channel that was featuring Pakistani
dramas.
The conversation was
a rare one. Not many people get a chance to talk to actors from the other side
of our border. Zindagi is an effort to promote harmony and
further the peace initiative between Pakistan and India and everyone in that
room felt extremely excited about this.
Being
someone who is associated with many different initiatives for Indo-Pak friendship, this was an extremely powerful
moment for me. While I was very happy that this step had taken place, I was
also keen to observe how Imran would communicate with the people, how he would phrase
his words for peace and how it would impact the audience. This was, after all,
an important moment in history. I needed to see how the Pakistani side was
going to introduce this step.
Once the conversation
began, I must say, I was not disappointed.
Imran
sounded like a professional at work. One could sense his determination
as he stated that,
“We remember the
first person who went to the moon. Firsts are always remembered. And hence I
did not want to lose the opportunity of being the first Pakistani actor who
represented Pakistan on Indian television through Indian broadcasters.”
He added that he took
this step despite the fact that his friends had discouraged him. They told him
that since he already had a good viewership in Pakistan, he didn’t need to be
part of the Indian television industry but Imran didn’t listen to them and
followed his passion instead. With this response I felt an instant liking for
this man. Not only did this show that the young actor was determined, but that
he also had a vision and the courage to advance progressive steps.
Imran
attempted to shatter misconceptions of the “us” and “them”
dichotomy by highlighting the similarities between Indians and
Pakistanis. People of both countries look just the same, both follow
largely the same culture and customs, and even though the languages aren’t similar,
they are not hard to comprehend for people from either side of the border.
He
discussed how art and culture had always transcended boundaries in India and
Pakistan’s case, and how actors from both countries had worked on either side
and have been appreciated. And I completely agree with what he had to
say. There is more to the Indo-Pak relations than just tensed connections. We,
as a people, are largely the same.
Imran’s
effort was further fortified when he chose to sing, after insistence from Zindagi team
members and bloggers alike, the famous Veer Zaara song,
“Wahi sham hai
wahi savera… aisa desh hai mera… jaisa desh hai tera…”
(The same night, the
same day, my nation is the same as your nation)
This
was reflective of how similar the nations were and connected him directly with the hearts of audience. I was deeply
moved by his gesture and sincerity, and it was in this moment that tears struck
my eyes and I truly become his fan. Not only is a great actor and a true
artist, he is also an earnest human being.
What
this effort highlighted was that relations don’t have to be so hostile and
opinionated; it is nice to see how India is connecting itself with Pakistan. I
am sure that such steps will help towards increased people-to-people relations
and friendship between these two nations.
Zindagi will help
Indians understand the life of an average Pakistani and I am confident that
after sometime, when the channel will have established an emotional connection
with its audience, it will help Indians realise how their lives are the same as
their Pakistani counterparts – like two sides of the same coin.
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