While several mainstream media outlets put out reports of the film MS Dhoni: The Untold Story being boycotted and banned in Pakistan, truth is that the film hasn’t yet been submitted for certification in the country.
According to The Express Tribune, the Neeraj Pandey film has not been imported by IMGC Entertainment, the distribution company that was supposed to bring the film to Pakistan.
They have currently decided against importing the biopic due to rising tensions between India and Pakistan.
Sabina Islam, the media and marketing manager of IMGC says, “We wouldn’t want to release anything that can aggravate the current situation of the two countries. Dhoni is India’s hero so it’s risky.”
Dismissing reports that the Dhoni biopic has been banned in Pakistan in retaliation to the demand by groups in India that Pakistani artistes leave India, the Chairperson of the Pakistani Central Board of Film Censors, Mobashir Hasan has said, “How can we ban a film that’s not been submitted for certification? The local distributors have not even applied for the NoC of the film.”
A report in The Express Tribune further quotes him saying, “We certify every film keeping Pakistan’s integrity, security and sovereignty in mind. Only last week, we approved Banjo without suggesting a single cut, giving it a Universal rating.”
The Sindh Board of Film Censors’ Secretary, Razzaq Khuhawar, reacted to reports of the Dhoni film being banned in Pakistan by saying, ““The Indian media is portraying it wrongly. We believe in competition as it helps improve the quality of Pakistani films as well. We haven’t been instructed to ban or censor films in the context of the hostile situation.”
The report also states that Bollywood films like Banjo and Pink are currently playing in Pakistani theatres without any trouble.
(Source: The Express Tribune)
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