Kathmandu, Pokhara ban screening of Indian movies amid backlash over Adipurush dialogue

Prabhas starrer Adipurush has courted controversy after viewers objected to some of the dialogues in the film. One of the segments in the film refer to Sita as the "daughter of India". Taking objection to this, the Pokhara Metropolitan City in Nepal and the capital city Kathmandu have decided to enforce a ban on the screening of all Indian films in the country.

This decision came hours after the Kathmandu Metropolitan City implemented a similar ban. Both cities have directed cinema halls to cease the screening of Bollywood films and replace them with Hollywood and Nepali movies instead.

3 things you need to know

• As per Kathmandu mayor, screening Adipurush without getting one of its dialogues removed will cause "irreparable damage".
• Police personnel were deployed across halls in Kathmandu to ensure that no Hindi film is screened. 
• It is believed by many that Sita was born in Janakpur in southeast Nepal.

All Indian films banned in Pokhara and Nepal 

On Sunday, Pokhara Mayor Dhanraj Acharya announced the ban on all Indian films in the metropolitan city. He instructed three movie theaters to halt the screening of all Indian movies with immediate effect. In response to the Mayor's orders, cinema halls in both Kathmandu and Pokhara have removed Indian films from their schedules and replaced them with alternative titles.

(File photo of a cinema hall | Image: ANI)

Kathmandu Mayor demands change in 'misleading' fact

Meanwhile, Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah took to Facebook on Sunday evening to declare a ban on the screening of all Indian films within the capital city. Shah emphasised the need to protect Nepal's "national interests, freedom, independence, and self-respect". He stated that the dialogue in Adipurush about Sita, if shown as is, could severely damage Nepal's "national identity, cultural unity, and nationality". The Mayor also expressed concerns about cultural encroachment and has decided to enforce the ban until the objectionable parts of the film are removed.

(File photo of Balendra Shah | Image: Balendr Shah/Twitter)

This came three days after he wrote a letter to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and urged the removal of the objectionable dialogue from Adipurush not just from prints in Nepal but also abroad to avoid a "misleading fact" from spreading further. He also sent copies of the letter to the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Film Development Board. 

Additionally, he called for diplomatic initiatives between Nepal and India to address the controversial dialogue, citing the responsibility of all levels of government to protect national interests as per the Nepali Constitution. He further warned that Hindi films would not be allowed to run in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City until the disputed wording is removed.

(Adipurush's poster featuring Kriti Sanon | Image: Twitter)

Police deployed to ensure ban on Hindi films 

As per Mayor of Kathmandu, Balendra Shah's secretariat, the Metropolitan Police has been deployed and the message has been relayed to ban the screening of Hindi films. The Kathmandu Metropolitan has 17 film halls, as per the record of the metropolis and strict measures are being taken to ensure the ban. (With inputs from ANI and PTI)