Calcutta, March 30: Pakistanis will laugh and cry with Ishant Awasthi, the dyslexic boy in Taare Zameen Par, when the film releases in cinemas across the border on April 4.

So far, eight Indian films have managed to get released in Pakistan — other than Noor Jehan and Indo-Pak joint venture Kashish that released in General Zia ul Haq’s regime — following the ban on Bollywood after the 1965 war.

But what sets Taare Zameen Par, Aamir Khan’s debut as director, apart is that it neither conforms to the requirements for an Indian film to be cleared in Pakistan, nor does it have any link with the country.

“According to the Motion Picture Ordinance, 1979, Indian films produced by Indians with Indian actors cannot be released here. But movies produced by Indians filmed outside India can,” said Azfar Shafqat, the chairman of the Pakistan Censor Board.

The second clause has allowed films like Awarapan, Gangster, The Killer and Welcome to get released recently. Goal, shot in London, and Race, shot in South Africa, became the first two Indian films to get same-date releases in Pakistan as their premieres in India.

But some also faced hitches. “Welcome was okayed only after Firoze Khan’s scenes were cut. Khan is unpopular for his anti-Pakistan comments. Awarapan also required trimming of scenes where the Jaipur fort was identifiable,” recalled Nadeem Mandviwalla, owner of Karachi’s biggest cinema Nishat.

But the Aamir film did not suffer any snip. “The ordinance gives the government the power to grant exemption from any provision. We found Taare Zameen Par to be educative and informative — in short, an outstanding movie,” Shafqat said.

The move has sparked jubilation on both sides of the border. “We laud the Pakistan authorities for the step. Such exchange of art will lead to better relations between the countries,” said Siddharth Roy Kapur, director of UTV Motion Pictures that is distributing the film.

It will have a 15-print release in Pakistan, with Geo TV in charge of distribution.

The iron curtain lifted with the release of Mughal-e-Azam and Taj Mahal in 2006. Director-producer Akbar Khan said he had to argue how Taj Mahal’s subject was integral to the history of both countries. It also starred legendary Pakistani singer-actress Noor Jehan’s granddaughter Sonia.

“The Pakistan market is bigger than the Gulf,” UTV’s Kapur said.

The movement is working both ways. “(Pakistan’s) Javed Sheikh’s Khule Aasman Ke Niche is supposed to get an India release,” said Hasan Zaidi, director of the Kara Film Festival in Karachi.