With Bollywood finally capturing screen space in Pakistan after four decades, it is now the turn of the Pakistan film industry to pay a return visit and India's Tourism and Culture minister has offered a special festival to facilitate this.

Ambika Soni, who met acting Governor of Punjab Muhammad Afzal Sahi in Lahore Wednesday, said a festival of Pakistani films would be organised in Mumbai. She also said Punjabi films made in Pakistan were welcome in Indian Punjab.

Both Soni and Sahi agreed that cinema could act as a bridge between people of the two countries, given the linguistic and cultural affinity.

Soni was here as the head of the Indian delegation that attended the gala premier of the Hindi film "Taj Mahal" in Lahore Wednesday evening.

A few Indian films have been allowed to be screened in Pakistan after 41 years. K. Asif's classic "Mughal-e-Azam" was screened in Lahore April 23 and received an enthusiastic response.

Soni also said Pakistani dramas were popular in India.

"I have a list of tapes of dramas that I have to take back for my friends and relatives," she told Sahi.

The governor said that people-to-people contacts between the two countries were a good omen. "Peace and tranquility in the region is in the best interest of the people of both the countries," he added.