CHANDIGARH (The Times of India) – Don’t be surprised that centenary of India cinema next year is celebrated in Tajikistan or some Central Asian country, if the popularity of Indian cinema were a measure.

“As many as 600 Indian films are dubbed in Tajik language every year, which is close to Persian,” Professor Umarow Khojamm-Ahmad from Dushanbe-based Institute of Economy and Demography Academy of Sciences told The Times of India in an exclusive interview during a recent seminar on connecting South and Central Asia here. So much of dubbing is possible as the Tajikistan University has very strong Hindi and Urdu departments since the Soviet Union era, he said.

He said you go to any hotel in Central Asia only to find that Zoom channel is beaming Indian films. Indian films beat Hollywood, Russian and Chinese films hands down. Kapoor’s – Raj Kapoor to Kareena Kapoor – are considered their own as they belonged to Peshawar. The Khans of Indian cinema are equally popular. There is so much of impact of Indian music that Tajik music will appear just Indian to any Indian. Indian tunes are being copied in mass for Tajik music.

Surprisingly, Chinese films are not doing as well as Indian ones do despite the fact China which shares 750 km long border with the country, is the biggest trade partner of Tajikistan.

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