New Delhi A media group in Pakistan has approached the information ministry for a NOC on the countrywide screening of the Aamir Khan-starrer ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’. According to media reports, if Cineplex Media Group gets the No Objection Certificate (NOC) it will be the first time since 2019 that an Indian film will be released in Pakistan theatres, news agency PTI reported.
In 2019, the then government placed a ban on Indian content in Pakistan after escalating tensions between the two countries over the Indian government’s revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union territories.
There has been no Bollywood release in Pakistan and cineplexes have mostly tried to survive on the release of Hollywood and Pakistani movies.
Since the film is being globally distributed by Paramount Pictures, it is being imported into Pakistan by the Cinepax Media group, PTI quoted a source as saying.
Saad Baig, the General Manager of Cinepax Media Group, confirmed that they have asked for a NOC. “Yes, we have asked for a NOC for the release of the film throughout Pakistan. We are hopeful we will get good news from the ministry,” he was quoted as saying.
Representatives of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and Sindh Board of Film Certification did not share any details, but sources in the information ministry said a NOC request is under consideration for the release of the film in Pakistan, The New Indian Express reported quoting PTI.
Another official said the ministry has already informed the Cineplex Media Group that no Indian film or any project produced in India will be released in the country, the report added.