Meera Vows: Craze for Indian Movies

SHE is a star in Pakistan, smooched in an Indian film, was almost deported from India and then welcomed back. Perfect credentials, says Meera, to be an India-Pakistan peace ambassador.

"Now I have decided I will become an ambassador for India-Pakistan peace," Meera told IANS, a day after Indian authorities detained her for six hours at the New Delhi airport because she didn't have the right papers, put her on a flight back to Lahore and, then, as a special gesture, allowed her in.

"I have seen what people face because of the conflict between the nations and the only people who can solve it are the Indians and Pakistanis themselves. This is the message that I will preach everywhere now."

Meera is in New Delhi to attend a special citizens peace march to Multan in Pakistan that starts Thursday. She has been invited by filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.

The actress recently hit the headlines after she smooched her co-star in "Nazar" produced by Mahesh Bhatt's company. The smooch caused uproar in some sections of the Pakistani establishment.

Meera said each incident made her even more determined to push for peace between the neighbours.

"When the Indian authorities held me back, I was very upset. I cried a lot sitting in that room at the airport.

"But it also made me very determined. I thought it's amazing that something like this can happen to us. And I thought there must be peace between the countries so that our friendship can overcome all barriers."

Bhatt said incidents like these were the "natural course of history". "When you have ages of mistrust, it takes a long time to go away," said Bhatt.

"We have perpetuated mistrust between the two countries for ages and this has built a wall between the people. That will take a long, long time to fall.

"When civil societies build this kind of mistrust, such manifestations are inevitable. And in a way it is good that people face such hurdles - it is only when they face these things that they realise how important it is to break the mistrust."

Meera said she is also keen to act in more Indian movies.

"Movies are a great unifying force between the people of India and Pakistan. If we bring about many more such exchanges of talent, they can work as wonderful glue between the people."●