KATHMANDU: Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah has imposed a ban on Indian movies in Nepal's capital following a controversy surrounding the dialogue in the film "Adipurush." The ban applies to all Hindi or Bollywood films and has been enforced by the Kathmandu Metropolitan Police. In a Facebook post, Mayor Shah stated that the dialogue claiming Janaki as India's daughter in the movie was objectionable and gave a three-day ultimatum to correct it. He emphasized the need to protect Nepal's freedom, independence, and self-respect, and claimed that screening such films would damage national identity, nationality, and cultural unity.
The ban, effective from Monday, applies to all 17 film halls in Kathmandu. The production company behind "Adipurush," T-Series, responded to the ban by writing a letter to the Mayor, stating that it was never their intention to cause disharmony and that they wanted to show respect towards women through the dialogue in question. They requested the Mayor to view the film in its artistic form and support the intention of reaching a larger audience.
The controversy stemmed from the dialogue in "Adipurush" which referred to Janaki as a daughter of India. The dialogue was removed in Nepal after objections from the censor board, which led to a delay in the film's release. Mayor Shah had earlier written to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, as well as other government bodies, urging them to take action and requesting diplomatic initiatives with India to remove the objectionable dialogue.
The post read, "Indian film Adipurush had dialogue claiming Janaki was India's daughter which is objectionable and we had given three days' ultimatum to correct it. There is no doubt that it is the first duty of every government, government agency, non-governmental sector and Nepali citizen to protect the national interest by keeping Nepal's freedom, independence and self-respect intact."
In a similar event, the Hindu Sena petitioned the Delhi High Court to refuse certification of the movie for public screening. The petition claimed that the movie offended the Hindu community's feelings by inaccurately and inappropriately portraying religious icons, characters, and leaders.
The PIL further claimed that the depiction of characters such as Ravana, Lord Ram, Mata Sita, and Hanuman in "Adipurush" contradicted their descriptions in Hindu religious texts like the Ramayana authored by Maharishi Valmiki and Saint Tulsidas' Ramcharitmanas.
The petitioner argued that the writ petition was filed as a PIL on behalf of the public who may lack the means or legal knowledge to approach the court themselves.
The ban on Indian movies in Kathmandu's film halls, the controversy surrounding the dialogue in "Adipurush," and the subsequent legal action by the Hindu Sena highlight the sensitivity surrounding cultural and religious depictions and the importance placed on protecting national identity and sentiments in both Nepal and India.
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