Vidya Balan's Begum Jaan denied release in Pak
'Begum Jaan', starring Vidya Balan, will not be allowed to release in Pakistan over the country's policy of not permitting the import of films which deal with the issue of partition. The film's producer Mukesh Bhatt said he requested the censor board of Pakistan to at least view the film and take a decision but has not heard from them.
Vidya Balan starrer Begum Jaan, written and directed by National award-winning filmmaker Srijit Mukherji, has been banned in Pakistan. Produced by Mahesh Bhatt's Vishesh Films, the movie is a story of survival set against the backdrop of the India-Pak partition and its impact on a brothel. Speaking exclusively to India Today TV, Mahesh Bhatt explained that Pakistan does not screen films which revolve around the partition era. "I was told by my distributor that Pakistan has a policy does not permit the import of films which deal with the issue of partition. On learning this I requested the key officer of the censor board of Pakistan to at least view the film and then take a decision. I was assured that they would look into the matter. Sadly, I have not heard from them after that," he said.Bhatt also added, "Later my distributor informed me that his office has been intimated that Begum Jaan should not be imported by him into Pakistan."Co-starring Naseeruddin Shah, Chunky Pandey, Ila Arun, Gauahar Khan in key roles, Begum Jaan, the Hindi remake of the critically acclaimed Bengali film Rajkahini (2015) is all set to hit theatres on April 14. Interestingly this news comes just days after Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal did not hit theatres across the border. The Pakistan censor board reportedly asked the film's makers for two cuts, the scene where the Indian national anthem was played and portions showing the Indian national flag. Producer Aamir Khan refused to abide by the two cuts and chose not to release the film in the neighboring country.More recently, Tapsee Pannu's Naam Shabana didn't see the light of day in Pakistan, due to 'terrorism-related scenes,' and Jolly LLB 2 too irked the Pakistan authorities since it had discussions around the Kashmir issue. Films including Neerja, Tere Bin Laden amoung others too haven't been released, since they reportedly shows Pakistan in poor light.