Kathmandu : Following the controversy surrounding the Indian film ‘Aadipurush,’ the Film Development Board directed all theaters in the Kathmandu Valley to halt the morning shows on Friday.
Multiplexes including QFX, INOX, Big Movies, and WAVE Cinemas have suspended the morning shows. The umbrella organization of film distributors, the Film Producers Association, circulated a circular to all theaters in the Kathmandu Valley, instructing them to compulsorily halt the morning shows of ‘Aadipurush’ within their premises and evaluate the situation outside the Valley. The halting of the shows is due to security concerns raised by the theaters.
The theaters have enforced the directive, halting the shows. They have either refunded the ticket prices for the morning shows or arranged for the transfer of tickets to another show if available. According to the box office data of the Film Development Board, the sale of ‘Aadipurush’ tickets amounted to around 1.5 million rupees (6,000 tickets) until Thursday night.
Emergency meeting called by the Film Association
In response to the situation arising after the expression of Kathmandu Metropolitan Mayor Balen Shah, the Film Association has called for an emergency meeting on Friday morning. The meeting aims to discuss Mayor Shah’s statement and make a decision regarding the screening of ‘Aadipurush.’
“We are serious about incidents related to Hindi films in the past. We will discuss Mayor Shah’s statement and the screening of ‘Aadipurush’ in the meeting. We need to find a solution to this issue. He made a statement banning all Hindi films without any consideration. How can we move forward?” said a member of the Film Association.
Mayor Shah had earlier stated that the film included an Indian actress playing the role of Sita and even that was not welcomed in India. Consequently, he had assigned the status of not allowing the film to be screened in Kathmandu Metropolitan City. However, the Nepal Film Board has reportedly granted permission for the screening after removing the controversial statement.
Furthermore, some parliamentarians and leaders of brotherhood organizations have also expressed opposition to the film. Various film organizations have expressed their dissatisfaction on Facebook. Some Indian media outlets have given priority to this issue and published news reports about it.