The cultural barriers between India and Pakistan seem to be coming down with the forthcoming premiere of Mahesh Bhatt's 'Nazar' on Pakistani television on May 29, close on the heels of Islamabad's sanction to the theatrical release of the colourised version of K Asif's 'Mughal-e-Azam'.

Confirming this news from Pakistan, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who is currently on a visit to the country to participate in a telethon on Aaj TV, said, ''We yesterday inked a deal with Aaj TV, one of the biggest private television networks in Pakistan, wherein 'Nazar' -- the first Indo-Pak joint film production in 50 years -- will be shown on their channels from May 29 to June 4.

''It is the first brick laid by us in the long path of Indo-Pak people-to-people exchanges. After all, apart from cricket, it is films that can bring the people of the two countries together in a common bond of friendship,'' Bhatt said.

The release of 'Nazar' on Pakistani TV comes even as the Pakistani Government is yet to decide the date of theatrical release of 'Mughal-e-Azam', the sanction for which was given by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf last week.

''We wanted to be the first to break the barrier that marked film exchanges between India and Pakistan for several decades. In fact, I would say that 'Nazar' is the first Indian film in the real sense to make its official entry in Pakistan. For, unlike in the case of 'Mughal-e-Azam', which has a British connection as its negative right holder Akbar Asif is a UK national, the release of 'Nazar' on Pakistan TV is a result of an agreement between an Indian producer and a Pakistani entertainment channel,'' Bhatt said.

Moreover, 'Mughal-e-Azam' was a classic film of the bygone era starring the legendary Dilip Kumar, which has excited several generations of Indians and Pakistanis. So the nod for its theatrical release was not surprising, Bhatt said.