We Must Completely Black out Indian Content: Pak Reacts to Ban

Cinema owners in Pakistan are enforcing a ban on screening of Bollywood films until normalcy.

MS Dhoni The Untold Story is not going to be screened in cinema halls in Pakistan. (Photo Courtesy: Poster of MS Dhoni; altered by The Quint)

After Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) took the decision to ban Pakistani artistes, cinema owners in Pakistan retaliated by taking a similar decision.

According to a report in Express Tribune, the cinema owners in Pakistan have decided to suspend the screening of Indian films until things quiet down.

The owner of Mandviwalla Entertainment which runs cinemas in Karachi and Islamabad said,

We will suspend the exhibition of Indian films till normalcy. No Indian movies will play in my cinemas from Friday onwards for sure. 

Nadeem Mandviwalla, owner of Mandviwalla Entertainment, Pakistan

Another general manager from Super Cinemas, Khorem Gultasab stated that Bollywood films will not be screened in their cinema halls.

We didn’t wait for an official declaration by exhibitors. From Friday onwards, no Bollywood film will be screened at Super Cinemas for at least two weeks to show solidarity with our actors and our military.

Khorem Gultasab, General Manager of <i>Super Cinemas, </i>Pakistan

According the Express Tribune, the largest network of cinemas in Pakistan, Cinepax is yet to take a decision on the same but would follow suit if exhibitors do ban Bollywood films from screening.

I have not heard anything confirmed as yet, but if exhibitors do ban Indian films, then of course we will go ahead with it.

Mohsin Yaseen, Cinepax, Pakistan

Nadeem Mandviwalla also stated,

Since this ban is an initiative taken by cinema owners and not the government, it is taking us some time to bring everyone on the same page. We were taking things lightly initially, since the so-called ban [on Pakistani artists in India] was just a few mischief-mongers hurling anti-Pakistan slogans. But things have gotten serious after the official [IMPPA] declaration.

Nadeem Mandviwalla, owner of Mandviwalla Entertainment, Pakistan

Meanwhile, Gultasab wants to completely black out Indian content, remove it from TV channels and DVD shops as well.

A ban won’t be effective if confined to just cinemas. Going to a cinema is a choice, but television channels air content from India all the time. We must completely black out Indian content. Remove it from TV channels and from DVD shops. Otherwise, there’s no point.

Khorem Gultasab, General Manager of <i>Super Cinemas, </i>Pakistan

The cinema owner wants the ban to be enforced until the Indian government offers protection to Pakistani artistes and technicians.

Film Producers Ban Pak Artistes & Technicians Till Peace Restores

The Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association passed a resolution in its AGM on Thursday evening banning Pakistani actors, technicians and singers from working in India. The decision came on a day when the Indian army announced the news of having carried out surgical strikes along the Line Of Control, as a mighty response to the recent attacks in Uri.

Read more on The Quint

Source: Express Tribune