REFERENCE letters on Indian films. We need to get some facts and perceptions corrected. Film Raees was not certified by the Central Censor Board, though it was not proscribed by the provincial boards of Punjab and Sindh. However, both the provincial boards did not issue certificates for public exhibition.

I would like to be enlightened as to where a letter writer got the information that it was banned three days after its release. Since films of Indian origin have been permitted to be exhibited legally, the number of screens increased in the country, and many more are in the pipeline.

Filmmakers, especially the young, with no baggage of blinlcered vision, have flourished and many films that may not have seen the light of day have been exhibited and judged by the audiences on their merits.

To those who go hoarse screaming about priority playing time given to imported films, I would like to mention that Bin Roe and Wrong Number competed with Bajrangi Bhaijan; Na Maloom Afraad vs Bang Bang Jawani Phir Nahi Ani be came the craze in Pakistani cinema and the list goes on.

People don`t go to the cinema to see bad films and we can go and preach from any hilltop, but not one of us is going to dip into our pocl(ets to pay for a ticket out of patriotism alone.

Pemra rules do not regulate films to be exhibited at cinemas and it seems that the relevance of` promoting other countries` culture is focused towards Indian films. In this age of technology where you can download a film illegally quicker than you can say chor, is it not better to use competition and science to our advantage? People should stop maligning films legally exhibited and go af ter those involved in stolen films like cable operators and sellers of DVDs.

Zulfiqar AK Ramzi Former Honorary Chairman Sindh Board of Film Censors