Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah bans Indian films amid row over Adipurush dialogues

Bollywood film Adipurush, which released across theatres on Friday, is facing a massive backlash because of its dialogues, visuals and poor storytelling. In a recent development, Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah has made the decision to stop screening all Hindi films in theatres and multiplexes in the capital, effective from June 19. This move comes after a specific line in Adipurush, where the prominent mythological character Sitareferred to as the 'daughter of India', stirred controversy in the region. All the theatres in the Kathmandu valley have been instructed to not screen any Hindi filmfrom tomorrow.

Mayor Balen Shah took to Facebook to address the issue on Sunday. He wrote, "Three days ago, we demanded the removal of the objectionable message that Janaki is an Indian daughter, which was included in the Indian movie Adipurush. It is the responsibility of every government, governmental organisation, non-governmental sector, and Nepali citizen to safeguard the national interest and preserve Nepal’s freedom, independence, and self-respect."

Shah further emphasised that the constitution of Nepal, specifically Clause 6 of Article 5 and Article 56, allocates the duty of safeguarding the national interest to the federal, state, and local governments. Expressing his concerns, the mayor said that if the film is shown without any modifications it could potentially cause severe and irreparable damage to Nepal’s national identity, cultural unity, and sovereignty. The film is being seen as a cultural encroachment on Nepal.

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"If the film is telecast as it is, Nepal’s nationality, cultural unity, and national identity will be severely damaged and irreparable damage will be done. If the film is telecast in other parts of the country and abroad, it will be misleading. So, it is prohibited to show any Indian films in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City until the objectionable parts are removed," Mayor Balen Shah added.

Meanwhile, Nepal's Ministry of Communication and Technology issued a statement, saying serious attention has been drawn to an objectionable part of the film following which Nepal's Censor Board removed the dialogue. The Ministry has also noted the announcement of Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah.

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City is taking measures to prevent the screening of the film by deploying city police officers to the theatres within the metropolis starting Monday.

Following Mayor Balen Shah’s initial reaction to the film, Asim Shah, a leader from the Rashtriya Swatantra Party Nepal, raised the issue in the Nepali House of Representatives. He advocated for a ban on the film to protect the cultural heritage of the country.

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