The first ever Pakistani film shot entirely in India, Javaid Fazal's The Return, was released on April 27 in its home country, where it played to packed houses over the first three days.

Producer Shoab Alam said that the entire music and post-production work was also completed in Mumbai. He is trying to also secure a release for the film in India but no deal has been confirmed yet.

The film was released nationwide on a dozen prints in ten cities by Pervaiz Production (Punjab and North-West Frontier Province) and Shera Films (Sind, Karachi and Balauchistan).

Pakistani filmmakers have previously filmed outdoor scenes in the US, Europe, Middle East and East Asia but, due to political tensions, never in India, although in the last few years, several Pakistani film producers have recorded songs in Mumbai.

The film is a tense drama starring well-known Pakistani TV artist Humayun Saeed in the lead role, supported by Pakistani and Indian artists including Ahmad Butt, Nadeem, Nausheen, Javed Sheikh, Saba Hameed and Pooja Kanwal.

Indian films are not released commercially in Pakistan - apart from two in 1980-81 and fourlast year - although pirated versions are widely available nationwide on cable TV and VHS, VCD and DVD formats.

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