Mumbai: So taken with King Khan is a little boy in Pakistan, he wants to walk, talk and look like Shah Rukh. One way the boy has of making his dream come true is to get his hair cut just like his idol. However, unfortunately, little Murad can't afford it; he gets little from his job at a garage, on top of it, payday is long off. Trouble arises when Murad's boss Saleem finds money missing from his safe. Of course the finger of suspicion points to young Murad - aka Shah Rukh.

What happens unfolds over the 55 minutes in Pakistani filmmaker Mohd Ehteshamuudin's touching film Shah Rukh Khan Ki Maut (The Death of Shah Rukh Khan), which is currently showing at the Third Eye 5th Asian Film Festival.

"The influence of Bollywood in Pakistan is tremendous, even if the films are all circulated under the table. We sometimes get them even before they are released in India," Ehteshamuudin says.

"The Bollywood idol had to be Shah Rukh Khan. Otherwise, it wouldn't have worked. There isn't a boy in Pakistan who doesn't look up to SRK," says Ehteshammuudin.

However, in the film, Murad has to pay a price for his fervent hero worship; reality steps in. One may also feel there is perhaps an underlying commentary on how the older generation in Pakistan doesn't look kindly on the 'external influence' that is 'Bollywood'.

"I, however, am a big Bollywood buff myself and usually my day is not complete until I've listened to Lataji or watched the latest release. May be it's time we opened a few windows and doors to get a better dialogue on Indian cinema," says Ehteshamuudin.

The film origianlly premiered in 2005 at the Kara Film Festival in Karachi, however, this is its first showing in India. "The Kara Film Festival is one of the few venues in Pakistan that showcases independent cinema, even if it's shot on mini DV or 35 mm," says the one time television producer.

The film was made with a Rs two lakh budget. "I didn't use any big stars - eight of them are acting for the first time, while two are theatre actors - which is why I think I was able to give a raw and spontaneous feel to the film," he says.