Mumbai: The release of Pakistani movie ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ has been stalled in India, ANI reported.
The film, starring popular actors Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, was slated to be screened in theatres in India from October 2.
But following backlash from parties like Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), the authorities have decided to cancel its release reasoning that Indian films have been banned in Pakistan since 2019.
MNS has been very vocal against the film’s release.
“We will not entertain any Pakistani film or actors in India,” MNS Cinema Wing chief Ameya Khopkar told ANI earlier this month, urging others to join their protest nationwide.
“This film will not be allowed to release. If it does, there will be strong protests. Our soldiers are dying at the borders. Why do we need Pakistani actors here? Don’t we have enough talent?” he argued.
‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’, a remake of iconic Pakistani film ‘Maula Jatt’, was originally released in 2022. The makers had planned to release the film in India in December 2022, but its was indefinitely delayed.
A fresh attempt has met the same fate now.
A ban on Pakistani artists in India was imposed following the Uri terror attack in 2016. Last November, the Supreme Court rejected a petition challenging restrictions on Pakistani artists working in India.
Fawad has featured in Indian films like ‘Khoobsurat’, ‘Kapoor & Sons’ and ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’, while Mahira made her Bollywood in Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Raees’ in 2017.
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