/> There's trouble at the border. After all the talk of amity solidarity and free-flowing cultural exchanges between India and Pakistan that our artistes like to talk about, singers in Pakistan are suddenly finding it hard to obtain permission to come to Mumbai to record songs.

Composer Pritam Chakraborty who has consistently and tellingly used Pakistani voices, the latest being Atif in the Race track O jaan-e-jaan, is suddenly faced with a dilemma regarding the same singer who until recently was free to travel between Pakistan and India.

"I need to urgently record a song with Atif for Aziz Mirza's Kismat Connection. But he is suddenly having problems with his passport. So he can't come to Mumbai I'm flying down to Lahore to record the song with him."

Pritam doesn't mind making the trip. "I've never been to Pakistan. And Jannat which has my music is being premiered in Pakistan later this month. So it would be mixing business with pleasure."

Pritam has more businnes to mix with the pleasure of visiting Pakistan. "There's one more song, a special promotional number which I've just composed for Mani Shankar's Mukhbiir. That requires Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. I just might record that song too while I'm in Lahore. Or I may go for an Indian voice."

While Pritam is happy to take the melody mountain to Mohamed, not everynone is equally calm about the new developments.

Mahesh Bhatt who spearheaded the movement of Bollywood's music towards Pakistani singers is shocked to know of the new developments.

"I started this whole movement of musicians and actors from across the border to Bollywood in those cold days when looking towards Pakistan was looked on as an act of treason. I was told what I did was suicidal.

During the last 4 years we've done more to improve Indo-Pak relations than our predecessors have done in 56 years. We're premiering our Jannat in Pakistan on 14 May.

At a private dinner I categorically asked the prime minister Manmohan Singh if we could make financial investments across the border. He assured me there would be no problem from his government or Parvez Musharraf's government either."

So what does Mahesh have to say about the new developments?

"If singers from across the border are finding it difficult to come here then let me tell you, our prime minister had personally assured me that we of the entertainment industry were free to move back and forth and that the bureaucracy of neither side would be allowed to obstruct us.

Globalization means a free movement of capital and creativity. Bureaucrats can't throw roadblocks into the process of rapprochement.

If there's a slowing-down in the process of thawing the ice between the two countries I'll personally go our Prime Minister and address the issue to him. "

Mahesh Bhatt is ready to take an appointment with Manmohan Singh on what he sees as a clamping down on globalization.

"From the impoverished Russian dancer to a Pakistani singer to a Bihari labourer who find it difficult to make a living at home, they will all make a beeline for Mumbai because this is the city of dreams and opportunities.

Mumbai has to give them a place of dignity. Mumbai has to live up to its reputation of being the City Of Dreams."