Film’s Release(The Legend of Maula Jatt) Stalled in India
The much-anticipated release of the Pakistani blockbuster The Legend of Maula Jatt has been put on hold in India after officials in Delhi refused to grant permission for its screening. The film, a remake of a 1979 Punjabi classic, is Pakistan’s highest-grossing movie of all time.
Set to Release in Indian Punjab
The movie, starring popular Pakistani actors Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, was scheduled to premiere in the northern Indian state of Punjab. This would have made it the first Pakistani film to be shown in India in over a decade. However, on Wednesday, a source at Zee Studios, the film’s distributor in India, confirmed that the release had been delayed indefinitely following the Indian information and broadcasting ministry’s decision.
No Clear Reasons for Delay
It remains unclear why Indian authorities halted the film’s release. The BBC has reached out to the ministry for clarification, but no response has been given as of yet.
Storyline and Success of the Film
The Legend of Maula Jatt tells the story of a local folk hero who confronts the leader of a rival clan. The 2022 film has been a massive success in Pakistan and worldwide, earning widespread acclaim and box office success. Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, both of whom are well-known in India, have previously appeared in major Bollywood films, adding to the excitement around the movie’s Indian release.
Protests in Maharashtra
The film’s release was initially planned for 2022 but faced multiple delays. When the release date was rescheduled for this year, protests erupted in Maharashtra, with the regional political party Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) opposing the film’s release. The MNS stated it would not allow the movie to be screened “under any circumstances.” In response to the tensions, Zee Studios opted to limit the film’s release to the state of Punjab, which shares cultural and linguistic ties with Pakistan’s Punjab province.
Shared Cultural Ties Between India and Pakistan
Despite the political tension between India and Pakistan, both countries have a deep-rooted cultural affinity. Indian Bollywood and Punjabi films are popular in Pakistan, while Pakistani TV dramas have a large following in India. However, cross-border collaborations came to a halt in 2016 when Bollywood stopped casting Pakistani actors, and Pakistan banned Indian films in 2019 due to military tensions between the two nations.
Hope for Cinematic Collaboration
In recent months, a few Indian Punjabi films have been screened in Pakistan, leading to hopes of renewed cinematic collaborations between the countries. Encouraged by Maula Jatt’s international success and the Supreme Court of India’s dismissal of petitions against Pakistani performers, the filmmakers had hoped that the movie would attract Indian audiences, especially in Punjab.
Conclusion
The indefinite halt on The Legend of Maula Jatt’s Indian release is a significant setback for cross-border cultural exchanges, but its massive popularity continues to symbolize the potential for artistic collaboration between the two nations.
