Modified On June 20, 2006
From a Reuters article
Three standup comedians from Pakistan have jested their way to the finals of a popular Indian television show, as cultural and sporting ties lighten troubled relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
For weeks, Rauf Lala and the pair of Irfan Malik and Ali Hasan— known as Pakistan’s Laurel and Hardy– held the spotlight on the The Great Indian Laughter Challenge-II, before they were chosen for the finals through a public voting system.
Way back in the ’70s they were telling us that, when satellite TV was perfected, we’d be able to see shows like this if we wanted. 500 channels was the mantra. Bullfights from Spain was one particular attraction they kept touting. Well, where’s all this programming? (We suppose we’ll hafta wait until TGILC II comes out on DVD… bootleg DVD.)
Indian films have been banned in Pakistan for 40 years, but a flourishing bootleg DVD industry and satellite television mean Pakistanis can watch Bollywood movies at home.
We’d much rather be watching the finals of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge-II than the upcoming final of LCS! Technology, comedians and goofy, bootlegged movies will save the world.