By Muhammad Mehdi

It was 1956, the Pakistani film industry was trying to stand on its own feet. There is no other opinion that films/dramas/TV channels are such mediums that not only unite the cultures of countries and bring their people closer, but are also a great source of business. However, when the film "Baaghi" was released in Pakistan in 1956, in order to make it successful and strengthen new business and cultural ties, steps were taken to release the film in China as well, and they were successful, and the film was even awarded an award in China.

All this comes to mind because just a few days ago, a delegation from the Chinese embassy visited the headquarters of Pakistan's state-run channel PTV and discussed ways to increase the possibilities of greater cooperation between the two countries in this media field.It is interesting to know that a current affairs program called China Express is currently being presented on PTV in collaboration with China's state-run channel CGTN and PTV.

Our past is a witness that whenever Pakistan and China have collaborated in the media sector, it has been a huge success.The release of Baaghi in China is not the only event. After that, when the film "Mera naam he mohabbat" was released in China in 1981, this film set new standards of success and remained in Chinese cinemas for years. Another special thing about this film was that it was the highest-grossing foreign film released in China in 1981. It sold 60 million tickets and during that time it did a business of 7.1 million dollars. If we estimate this amount in today's terms, where will this money go?

This matter should have gone much further than this, but it can only be regretted that not much work has been done on this cultural and business opportunity, and this deficiency has been felt very loudly in Pakistan for a long time now. In 2018, the federal government of Pakistan announced that Pakistani dramas and films would be released after being dubbed in Chinese, but work on this has not yet begun on a large scale. But it is not that efforts are not underway in Pakistan in this regard.

The Pakistani film "Teefa in Trouble" won an award at the Silk Road International Film Festival 2018. Along with this, steps were also taken towards joint filmmaking between Pakistan and China, and Pakistan's leading performing arts organization Hunar Kada made the film "BA'TIE Girl" in collaboration with China.

Meanwhile, a few other Pakistani films also participated in various film festivals held in China and the element of interest in these films was clearly felt among Chinese cinema fans. It is not limited to Pakistani films or dramas, but some time ago, the Chinese drama "Fuyao" had greatly impressed drama fans in Pakistan. Pakistani actors Anees Qadir and Ruifa Babar are also making their place in the Chinese film industry in China. Chinese Consul General in Lahore, Zhao Shiren, organized a great Chinese Film Festival in April this year, which was attended by prominent figures from the Pakistani film industry. Recently, Pakistani films "Deemak" and "Nayab" were awarded the Best Editing and Special Jury Awards respectively at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Film Festival 2025.

If all this past and present are kept in mind, it can be easily understood that there is a lot of scope for cooperation between Pakistan and China in the media sector.

At present, there are more than 13,000 cinemas in China, while the number of screens is over 90,000. In comparison, there are only 150 cinemas in Pakistan. If Pakistani films are screened on just two percent of Chinese cinema screens, it becomes two thousand screens, which can become a huge business activity along with culture.