New Delhi: Karan Johar’s ambtious film ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’, in all likelihood, will not be able to keep its date with cinema screens this Diwali. The Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI) has decided that no films starring any Pakistani actors will be released in theatres.
Nitin Datar, President of the COEAI, said, “Keeping in mind the patriotic feeling and the national interest in mind, we request all our member exhibitors to refrain from screening movies which have involvement of any Pakistani artists, technicians, directors, music directors, etc. Till the relation between India and Pakistan becomes normal, no films with Pakistani actors can be released.” This decision directly impacts the screening of ‘ADHM’, which stars Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. It has already been put in place in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and parts of Karnataka. The decision will be conveyed to other states as well.
When asked about whether this decision extends to other releases like ‘Raees,’ which has Mahira Khan, Datar said, “We will see in the future. If the situation normalises, we will screen ‘Raees.’ It’s not a decision we can take now.”
Datar tackled the question about the losses that producers and theatre owners would incur due to this decision by saying, “We will deal with that in the future when they (the filmmakers) come to the association.”
Bureau Report
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