The Legend of Maula Jatt, a Pakistani historical drama starring Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, was scheduled for release on October 2 in Punjab. However, the film’s release was cancelled due to the various protests that erupted since the announcement. On September 12, Imran Zahid, a Delhi-based theatre artist who is working on the Indian adaptation of the Pakistani show Humsafar with Mahesh Bhatt, filed a Right to Information (RTI) petition seeking the Indian government’s stand on whether Pakistani films and artists were prevented from working in the country.
According to a report by Mid-Day, Zahid stated, “When (the film’s release) was announced (to severe opposition), I filed an RTI with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to inquire about any official ban from the Indian government. Since we are working on a stage adaptation of Pakistani dramas, we’re also concerned whether our projects will see the light of day or face a potential ban.”
He further highlighted the contradictory nature of cancelling a Pakistani movie’s release and added, “It is disheartening to see Maula Jatt’s release stalled. We’ve seen Pakistani actors being reintroduced to Indian audiences (through digital platforms) despite earlier bans. If digital platforms can allow this, why can’t cinema halls extend the same openness? What’s even more concerning is the lack of clear information from the government regarding any collaboration with Pakistani artists.”
Imran Zahid further said that during the press conference at the inauguration of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Film Festival in January 2023, the then-Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, mentioned that Pakistan was among the invited nations. Hence, Zahid questioned, “When Zee Studios announced the release of The Legend of Maula Jatt a month prior, why is it now—so close to the release date—that we hear it has been stalled? If there is any restriction, we should be made clearly aware of it, and we’ll naturally abide by it.”
According to the same report, the theatre artist has mentioned in his RTI petition, “Are there any restrictions imposed by the Government of India on collaborating with Pakistani film and theatre artistes at present? Specifically, is there any ban on Pakistani artists working in India?” Zahid is expecting an answer to his application by mid-October.
In other news, The Legend of Maula Jatt’s distribution holder, Nadeem Mandviwalla, has confirmed to PTI that the film’s release has been stalled as an Indian ministry has obtained a stay order from a court. For those unaware, Fawad and Mahira’s historical thriller is Pakistan’s first film to enter the 100 crore club.
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