Collateral damage: How Bollywood is bearing the brunt of India-Pak flare-up

Bollywood movies, with their often three-hour song-and-dance formats, are popular in Pakistan, accounting for about 60% of total cinema consumption

The tense political feud between India and Pakistan is taking a toll on the film industry.

Pakistan has halted the screening of Bollywood movies in theaters across the country, forcing the nation’s largest chain, Cinepax Cinemas, to show reruns of old Pakistani films. Even before the current political standoff, the cinema chain was offering discounts of as much as 40 percent on tickets to attract more customers.

Bollywood movies, with their often three-hour song-and-dance formats, are popular in Pakistan, accounting for about 60 percent of total cinema consumption, according to Rafay Mahmood, culture editor at Karachi-based The Express Tribune. Hollywood movies and