Collaborative short film made in India, Pakistan

"Matched!", a digital short film collaboration between India and Pakistan, celebrates the Independence Day of both the nations.

Indian digital platform Arre joined hands with Pakistan's digital entertainment brand Teeli to co-produce, co-write and co-create the short, filmed across New Delhi and Karachi.

The idea was an experiment to engage with shared cultural values like food, language, and social relationships, rather than the politics that has shaped the current narrative.

"Matched!" captures the unlikely friendship between an Indian girl from Amritsar and a Pakistani boy from Lahore, made possible through a dating app. What happens when two people who only associate India with Bollywood and Pakistan with Coke Studio, strike a conversation, is what the movie explores.

From script, production, and post-production, teams on either side worked on Skype over a period of two months, with the purpose of exploring how to overcome barriers with digital content. The attempt was to deliver a joint expression of two neighbouring nations.

Sharan Saikumar, Creative Director, Arre, said in a statement:"'Matched!' is a product of the digital age. It suggests that even though our countries and politics may falter, as people we can always be true."

Digital content has made borders irrelevant, according to Gul Zaib Shakeel, Head Writer, Teeli.

"It has shown and shared the thrilling, mundane and honest things that our regular lives are all about. The fact that content from either side of the border resonates with the other is testament to how truly similar we are at the core. This is what the video is about," Shakeel said.

--IANS

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