Sonam Kapoor-starrer “Neerja”, based on real
incidents during the hijacking of the Pan Am Flight 73 at the Karachi airport
in 1986, has been banned in Pakistan allegedly for showing the country in poor
light.
In an unusual case the film has been banned here without even being submitted to the censor boards.
The Ram Madhvani-directed movie revolves around Neerja Bhanot, a flight attendant on board a Pan Am Mumbai-New York flight, who was shot dead by terrorists during the hijacking while trying to save the lives of passengers.
The Pakistan ministry of commerce had initially authorized the import of the film but later changed their decision.
The ministry issued us a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to import the film and bring it to Pakistani territory but later on revoked the NOC.Official, IMGC Entertainment
Mubashir Hasan, who heads the Central Board of Film Censors
(CBFC), said that the decision to not allow import of the film had come from
the information and commerce ministry.
“The film was never brought to us for censorship,” he said, adding the commerce and information ministry had also asked the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulation Authority (PEMRA) to ensure that “Neerja” is not shown on cable channels throughout Pakistan.
Also read:
‘Neerja’ Came Into My Life and Changed it Forever: Sonam
Kapoor
Why Everyone Should Know ‘Hijack Heroine’ Neerja Bhanot’s
Story
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)