The two latest Bollywood releases, whose screening rights for Pakistan were purchased at nominal rates, have proved to be big hits, setting off moves by distributor-exhibitors to start lobbying for direct imports from the Indian industry.

"The success of some of these films has shown that people are willing to come to the theatres to watch good entertainment," Nadeem Mandviwalla, a leading exhibitor said.

Mandviwalla's famous Nishat cinema on the busy M A Jinnah road in Karachi has been screening Bollywood films since the last few months and has done very good business with Goal, Welcome, Race and now Singh is King.

"These films have set our cash registers ringing and after a long time we are doing good business with clean and family entertainment films. I think government should think about allowing direct imports from India instead of allowing only Indian films shot on foreign locations," he said.

He said Pakistani distribution rights for Singh is King were bought for around USD 200,000, approximately 15 million Pakistani rupees and the film is expected to make distributors and exhibitors richer by around Rs 80 million.

While the Shahid Kapoor-starrer Kismet Konnection was sold in the country for less than the price sought for the Akshay Kumar-starrer, but it has already made its distributors and exhibitors happy with returns.

Both films are running to full houses, prompting Cineplex owners to increase ticket prices to a steep Rs 300. Authorities here have so far chosen to allow Indian films which were shot on foreign locales to be released in the country.

Sohail Khan, one of the pioneers in convincing the government to allow import of Indian films with the existing conditions, hoped for a more liberal policy in allowing import of Indian films.

"Even after being passed by our censor board these Indian films still have a lot to entertain the people," Khan said.

Since 1965 the government had banned exhibition of Indian films in cinemas and theatres although pirated prints were easily available for the masses making some of the Bollywood actors household names in the country.

In 2006, Pakistan waived a 41-year old ban on Indian films, when the 17 century love epic Taj Mahal was screened in Karachi. India saw the release of the first Pakistani film in 43 years this year, with the screening of highly acclaimed Khuda Kay Liye.