By Muhammad Luqman
Pakistan has slapped a temporary ban on the screening of Indian films during next month’s Eid holidays. Salman Khan starrer Race 3 is one of the big ticket Eid releases this year, and the move is likely to hinder the film’s way to the cinema halls in the South Asian country.
According to a notification issued by the ministry of information and broadcasting, the exhibition and screening of Indian and foreign films will be banned from two days before the Eid to until two weeks after the holidays.
The step had been taken on the requests by the Pakistani film exhibitors, distributors and production houses. Under this ban no cinema across Pakistan will be allowed to show Indian movies during the Eid holidays which usually run for four days and bring in big business for the new Pakistani, Bollywood and Hollywood films.
Pakistan Film Exhibitors’ Association officials have confirmed that they had received the notification. The notification says that the temporary ban is being imposed in order to promote local movies on the festivals, a time when usual than larger audience is attracted towards cinemas.
The notification is also applicable for the Eid-ul-Adha holidays which will fall around late August Pakistani film producers and artists have been complaining for the last two years that their new films face stiff completion from the Indian and Hollywood movies and due to the limited circuit in the country .This Eid also a number of new Pakistani films are due for release but it was not clear which Indian films are slated for release during the holidays in India and elsewhere
Pakistani films, including e Mahira Khan and Sheheryar Munawar-starrer 7 Din Mohabbat In, Jawed Sheikh’s Wajood and Azaadi that features Moammar Rana and Sonya Hussyn in lead roles, scheduled to release around that time.
