Kathmandu, June 19
The distributor of the South Indian film Adipurush, Shree Byankatesh Entertainment, has decided to halt the screening of the film throughout the country.
“We have decided to not screen the film in Nepal,” said Manoj Rathi of Shree Byankatesh Entertainment.
Rathi explained that his company took the decision to suspend the film’s screening because they objected to film hall operators halting the screening without receiving an official letter from the Kathmandu metropolitan city.
“When film hall operators decided to stop screening the film based on a Facebook post then we do not want to screen it elsewhere either. We are not going to go to the court either,” he said.
All 17 film halls in Kathmandu have stopped screening the film after being told to do so by Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah.
Rathi says it was wrong the film halls decided to halt the screening of the film without getting an official decision from the metropolis. He further states that Shah was also not assisting in resolving the situation.
On Sunday evening, the city police, under the orders of Mayor Balen, went to film halls and verbally instructed them to not screen the film.
Pokhara metropolis has also told halls not to screen the film. Dharan sub-metropolitan city Mayor Harka Sampang Rai had also requested film halls not to screen Adipurush.
The film has been heavily criticised in Nepal. Kathmandu Mayor, Balen Shah had given the film a three-day ultimatum to remove the dialogue whose essence states Janaki (Sita) is India’s daughter. Kathmandu metropolis has also banned all Indian films being screened in the city.
The film has not removed the statement. Instead, the Adipurush’s writer Manoj Muntashir stated Nepal was part of India till 1903 giving further fuel to the fire.
