Pak-ing a punch from across the border

Partition drew a divide and gave birth to two nations in the August of 1947. The deaths, massacres, riots, horrors and heartbreak of that mass migration make it one of the darkest chapters in the history of the sub-continent. But beyond the geographical divide of the two homelands is a shared heartland of culture - of spices and flavours, language and poetry, art and fashion, cinema and music, folk bards and sufi mystics… And this season Pakistan seems to be the flavour of the moment, with everything from its fashion, art and television soaps to movie actors riding a wave of popularity in India.

“Cross-border people-to-people love has always existed between the two countries and there have always been mutual affinities in terms of clothes, cinema, art, food and pretty much everything else,” says Deepak Perwani, official spokesperson of Fashion Pakistan Council. “Our common history has given us the same architecture, attire and a similar sense of opulence too. Several elements in Indian as well as Pakistani fashion derive inspiration from the Mughals and the maharajas, so when it comes to clothing, we love each other's take on subcontinental fashion.”

He adds, “Fashion, like music, art, cinema and any other universal art form, is a great ambassador for any country to portray its image globally and India and Pakistan are really two sides of the same coin in that regard. Pakistani music and musicians have already found their niche in India and now the country is discovering Pakistani fashion too in a big way this year.”

Pakistani designer Rizwan Beyg agrees, and shares his excitement at receiving a warm welcome and response to his collection at the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai this year. “There is a lot more that unites us than separates us, and fashion is without borders, without agenda. It is a celebration of the human spirit. India and Pakistan have not forgotten their cultural roots. Even today, you see elements of the sari or salwar-kurta modernised, revolutionised, contemporised. For me, the point of coming to India was to see how the audience and press here respond to our designs. The whole idea of extending this hand of friendship and welcoming us at the fashion week has been great,” he says.

The latest pin-up boy to make the ladies here jelly-kneed is Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, whose Pakistani drama series Zindagi Gulzar Hai and Bollywood debut outing Khoobsurat have catapulted him to fame and popularity in India. Emphasising the importance of artistic amalgamation, he says, “There are some people in India who feel that there is no need to import talent. In America, Hollywood is like a settlement; people have migrated to the country and look at what that amalgamation is bringing out - it is because of the variety of cultures flourishing there. It’s important to break this hate breeding process. Cinema, music, arts and crafts can bridge gaps in an intolerant society.”

The beautiful and talented Mahira Khan, who plays the lead in the popular Pakistani television drama Humsafar that premieres in India this month on Zee’s Zindagi channel, adds that the potential for artistic amalgamation between India and Pakistan is particularly bright since the two nations abound in cultural affinities. Humsafar has not aired in India yet but already has a booming young Indian fan following online! The actress says, “India and Pakistan’s cultural similarities are one of the reasons why I feel our shows are as popular as they are in India. At the end of the day, our commonalities in language and culture bind us. We celebrate and mourn the same way and every sentiment expressed in our stories connects people from both sides of the border.

To watch a TV show from another country that reminds you of your own home is what makes you love it almost like your own. I personally feel it is high time we focused on arts and entertainment rather than infotainment between the two countries, which only focuses on politics. Cinema, television and art in general can and does bring us closer to each other. One of my closest friends in college is from Lucknow and one of the first few topics we bonded over were Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Amitabh Bachchan!”

Emphasising that the arts are capable of building a community without borders, Pakistani actor Imran Abbas Naqvi, who made his Bollywood debut recently in Creature 3D opposite Bipasha Basu, points out that exchanges between the two nations in cinema and music have been happening for quite a while but their gaining popularity on both sides at the moment is a heartening development. “Indian actors have also acted in Pakistani films like Nandita Das in Ramchand Pakistani, Kirron Kher in Khamosh Pani and Naseeruddin Shah in Khuda Kay Liye. I have worked with dozens of Indian actors in Pakistani television dramas. This is becoming more noticeable now since three actors from Pakistan have stepped into Bollywood simultaneously. I think it is about time that more people work together like this because we're all basically branched out from the same roots.

Hamaari mitti ek hai… the lack of opportunity has gotten in our way in Pakistan a lot but maybe that is set to change now. We should exchange more talent like this and even our technicians can and should learn from each other. I think what is happening is a very positive phenomenon, and it should be understood and acknowledged that we are all here for peace and love. There are no differences between us as people, no distances between our hearts at a personal level and so we have to be the ones to erase the misunderstandings that have so far existed between our nations. We must be the ones to break through the veil of misconceptions that has existed between us all this while,” he says.

A group of young Pakistani artists visited India recently and exhibited their works in Delhi, and they too strongly feel that creative forms of expression such as painting, much like cinema, design or music, have the power to communicate beyond every kind of divide. Artist Zehra Laila Javeri points out, “Art is basically a communication of ideas and if we bring our ideas to each other, we can understand each other better. The exhibition I was a part of had artists from several pockets across Pakistan come together beneath one roof, presenting to the Indian spectator a very complete picture of what our art represents. For us artists, it was a privilege to be introduced to your great master, Satish Gujral. And I was completely blown away. All the artists I met, in fact, were so easy to talk to and so easy to understand and cooperate with… I came here with an open mind and I was received with an open heart.”

Artist, photographer and jeweller Tapu Javeri showcased his works at the Alishan Pakistan exhibition in the capital recently, and was overwhelmed with the response he got. Reflecting on how the crafts have evolved in the two countries, he says, “Though there’s only 67 years that we’ve been apart, the art and craft in the two countries has evolved very distinctly and it was very interesting to show my creations to an Indian audience. I believe artists speak at a different level from other people. Art in itself speaks beyond borders, whether it’s here or anywhere else in the world. It’s a different kind of community in itself because it sees your work and you alone. There are no boundaries involved in the way you are perceived and I think that is the best way to introduce two countries to each other again - without any sense of the borders keeping them apart. Hopefully, the art world will create a greater sense of oneness that isn’t there politically, because I feel that it does have the power to do so.”

The burgeoning artistic and cultural exchange is also likely to boost the economy of both the nations, feels Ziad Bashir, founder of Ideas, Pakistan’s largest lifestyle brand. He says, “I feel cross-border trade has huge potential between India and Pakistan and will soon become a reality because if we want our economies to develop as per Western standards, we cannot ignore it for too long. We need to leverage each other's strengths and consolidate our supply chains to compete together as one team in the global market place.  The solution to all our economic and financial problems is regional and we have all the markets and natural resources necessary between both our countries to develop at an exponential rate.”