Pahariwood movies

In an earlier job I produced audio information publications in Pahari/Pothowari as well as other languages such as English, Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Mandarin Chinese and Polish.

So I was fascinated to read the Wikipedia article on the majority language of Mirpur, Pahari- Pothwari. This is a distinct dialect related to Punjabi. The language does not have a written tradition and there is still no generally agreed way to transcribe the spoken sounds into Urdu script, though scholars are developing it.

As a result of that situation, I remember some amusing moments in the recording studio when we had script readers who were not the same people who had written the scripts.

Miki Kharo England

However, there is progress – even talk of ‘Pahariwood’ – a smaller version of Bollywood! For example, the first ever comic telefilm in Pahari – Miki Kharo England – which means “Take Me to England”. This romantic comedy was so successful that there was a comic sequel in 2007 called Main Julian England – which means “I’m Going to England”.

Main Julian England

From my own experience, I guess that part of the comedy must have appeared on the film set. With lots of laughs when actors tried to read some of the words in the Pahari-Pothwari film script!

This is a link to the YouTube promo for another Pahariwood comedy Acho Khari Nal.

And there is a YouTube promo of another Pahari movie – Lakeer.

Mirpur, Azad Kashmir – میر پور – interesting photos

There’s an interesting set of photos of Mirpur on the Kashmir Heritage website. Just click on the link and then scroll down.

Thanks to Abid Hussain for information about the fine Azad Jammu & Kashmir photo website of  Gharib Hanif. Just click on the link and then click on the photo library that interests you.

Enjoy!

Mirpur, Azad Kashmir – میر پور

The Azad Mega Mart referred to in the BBC article

One of the largest communities in Kirklees, West Yorkshire comes from Mirpur in Pakistan-administered Kashmir – Azad Kashmir.

A RECENT BBC ARTICLE explains the logic behind the “Little Britain” term sometimes used in Pakistan to refer to Mirpur.

When thousands of residents lost their livelihoods as farmers in the 1960s -when the huge Mangla dam was built in the area – there was a large migration of Mirpuris to the United Kingdom. This built on a smaller, earlier migration.

As a result about 70% of the Pakistani migration living in Britain today originates from this one district of Kashmir. Around half a million Mirpuri people live in the UK, compared to about 370,000 in Mirpur City.

Mangla Dam - Mirpur