By SHUBHAJIT Chakraborty

Islamabad, March 21 – Madhuri Dixit was once a household name among Pakistanis. The chant is still remembered at the cricket stadium: “Madhuri do, Kashmir lo (India, give us Madhuri Dixit and take Kashmir).” Now this time Kareena Kapoor has stirred Pakistanis though in a controversial way.

Advertising on a billboard featuring the Bollywood actress triggered a small controversy over people in Pakistan. The advertising was of Firdous Cloth Mills, using Kareena’s pictures to advertise a recently launched line of summer suits.

The picture triggered a mild storm among bloggers. Many people have already written for and against the use of Indian model or actors for Pakistani advertising.

“If Pakistani companies are hiring Indian models, it’s good for peace between the two countries — so have a big heart and develop a habit to accept good changes,” wrote Saira Hamza on the Fashion Iconz blog.

Several comments were against the display of Indian actors on Pakistani billboards.

“Pakistani models are far better than Indian models… why should we display Indians???” wrote Sarah. “This Indian fever is so really childish. We should support our own talent.”

Fashion Iconz said Firdous had also approached several other Indian actresses, such as Dia Mirza and Ria Sen, to exhibit its summer collection for 2010.

Aamir Khan, a Karachi resident, welcomed Firdous’s move. “My wife was quite amazed to see Kareena Kapoor on the billboard, and so was I,” he said.

“My wife wants to buy one or two lawn prints of this company after seeing the advertisement.”

“I think this is a good change to display Indian actresses. It really looks refreshing,” said Umair Ali, a Class XII student of a college in Karachi.

For some reason, Firdous Mill’s website was unavailable on the Internet.