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The Pakistan Film Censor Board has banned the exhibition of Dhanush and Sonam Kapoor starrer " Raanjhanaa" because of its alleged "controversial theme".
The Central Board of Film Censors in Pakistan banned the film shortly before its scheduled release, Chief Executive Officer of IMGC Global Entertainment Amjad Rasheed, the importer of the film said.
Earlier the Censor Board had also banned films like "Ek Tha Tiger", "GI Joe", "Agent Vinod" for their controversial themes and "anti-Pakistan" sentiments.
Chief Executive Officer of IMGC Global Entertainment Amjad Rasheed, the importer of Raanjhanaa, told that he received a letter from CBFC with directives to shelve the film's release. "The letter from CBFC states that the film portrays an inapt image of a Muslim girl (played by Sonam Kapoor) falling in love with a Hindu man and having an affair with him."
Anand L Rai's Raanjhanaa's release in Pakistan was scheduled during the last week of June. Pakistani singer Shiraz Uppal has also lent his voice for the title track of the film, composed by AR Rehman.
The Bollywood film's plot portrays Muslim girl Zoya (Sonam) falling in love with Kundan (Dhanush) and later Jasjeet Singh (Abhey Deol). The film starts with pundit's Hindu Brahmin son Kundan falling for Zoya at first sight. He follows her to school, after school, in the market — almost everywhere. After getting slapped 16 times by Zoya, Kundan finally gets to know her name, but his hesitation that she will reject him because of his religion leads him to introduce himself as Rizwan. She agrees to meet him behind a temple, but the meeting does not turn out well as Zoya finds out that he's Hindu.
As the story unfolds, Zoya also develops feelings for Kundan, however, her parents find out about it and send her off to Delhi in order to protect the family's honour. Later in Delhi, Zoya falls in love with Jasjeet Singh, a student leader who also leads a political party.
Raanjhanaa grossed INR1.31 billion in its second week of release. — TOI
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Comments (27) Closed
Jul 04, 2013 03:19pm
Sick society. Covert back to hinduism or budhhism...that will liberate ordinary peace loving citizens of pakistan from these mullahs..huh!
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Jul 04, 2013 04:25pm
What a biased Censor board. It is Ok to show a Muslim Boy falling in love with a non Muslim Girl and every marrying her but not otherwise. Such a communal and biased Censor can only reflect the persona of the citizens of the country.
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Jul 04, 2013 04:52pm
What if the girl has been hindu and the boy muslim, then would it have passed the Censor borad approval?
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Jul 04, 2013 07:31pm
@Sam:
Now I know why lollywood is failed industry . :P
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Jul 04, 2013 08:01pm
@saurabh kumar:
Agree with you there Saurabh. But people look for a spark to foment hatred. A Muslim boy eloping with a Hindu girl is OK but not otherwise. Such is our generally hypocritical society. In any event the censor board's decision is preposterous,if you ask me.
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Jul 04, 2013 08:10pm
@Sam:
It doesn't Sam. It is the unsaid mindset and what's commonly referred to as the 'herd phenomenon'. The so called philosophers propagate their propaganda, common people accept it as it is, the system propagates and becomes the norm. It doesn't reflect on people's persona but on the contrary to the lack of it.
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Jul 04, 2013 11:27pm
Great, Great, Great refreshing news. we congratulate to Pakistan with huge applause. Well done. We expect more in future. to impose ban on cheap, vulgar indian movies; contributed a lot to destroy noble human and respectable society norms. leave to cut their fingers and bite nails.
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Jul 05, 2013 03:04am
All I can say is 'Islamic intolerance'
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Jul 05, 2013 11:05am
Excellent news. Pakistan has every right to protect it's Muslim girls from falling prey to non Muslims entering their minds through subliminal ideas through bad Bollywood movies.
Also, Jamaat and TTP will not accept such a film to be running in Pakistan.
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Jul 05, 2013 11:12am
I n fact, Pakistan should only accept clean films from China, as they are patriotic and nationalist and never have Muslims and Chinese had problems with each other.
Also, with urdu subtitles, Chinese films will become quite a rage in rural Pakistan, with their lush cinematography and martial arts, which will make Pakistani youth become even more of a martial race than before ! ;-)
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Jul 05, 2013 11:14am
@Sam:
Most Bollywood movies dare not show Hindu girl falling for a Muslim boy, reason threats of violence against the producer and distributor. Ghadar, Partition are some of the example that comes to mind. The bias is mutual for both Indians and Pakistanis.
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Jul 05, 2013 08:39pm
@Mansoor Khan:
But they did not ban Pinjar!!!
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Jul 05, 2013 08:40pm
@Mansoor Khan:
Clearly you have no clue about bollywood. There are lots of movies in which a Muslim boy marries lives a hindu girl. Saif and Kareen starrer, Kurbaan. NY ( John, Katrina) and many more. You have a polluted mind just like many in pakistan who think Muslims girls dont marry non Muslims in India. With the orthodoxy Islam has shown, more muslim girls in India want to marry non muslims
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Jul 05, 2013 09:16pm
@Mansoor Khan:
Sir, you are absolutely wrong. I can give you list of such movies where girl is hindu & boy is muslims. I recommend you to watch few recent movie like- My Name is Khan, Jodha-Akbar to clear your doubt.
Not only in reel life, there is countless example of couple with hindu girl & muslim boy in real life as well in bollywood. Almost all the khan's of bollywood (Shahrukh, amir, saif, kabir, Irrfan, Zayed etc etc) married hindu girl.
Check you fact dear and please don't equalise India with Pakistan in this matter.....!!!
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Jul 05, 2013 09:52pm
@Mansoor Khan:
Mansoor, We Indian don't have problem with love stories either it is Hindu/Muslim girl/boy..If you don't remember then watch Bol Bachchan movie where a muslim boy(Abhishek Bachchan) loves hindu girl.
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Jul 05, 2013 10:16pm
@Mansoor Khan:
The fact that you have heard of these movies were made in india and then released to the audience are testament that indian and pakistan bias are not same. India always pushes the envelope. You will always have bigots in all society the question is what are you striving for. The truth be told a 'islamic republic' can never be a "secular republic' and I am talking about on paper and then these attempts are just to translate that into spirit. Pakistan unfortunately has instituitionalized difference in its very definition and hence non-muslims will be secondary citizens as required by a 'islamic republic' because its running 'god's rule' on earth not a 'human rule' like the other modern countries. That is the difference in bias.
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Jul 05, 2013 10:24pm
@Sam:
The issue is not about muslim girl or Indian/Pakistani culture, but Islam, where a muslim girl is not allowed to marry a non-muslim boy. Such union will be considered Haram and any off-springs will be illegitimate.
I am not sure if such a law exists in Hindu/Sikh or Christianity.
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Jul 06, 2013 01:45am
It is nice that Bollywood portrays interracial relationships but with all it's independence how many such movies have the opposite of an Hindu girl in love with a Muslim boy. I guess we all have our limitations. Just enjoy the movies for what they are just an avenue for entertainment. Peace and love to all.
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Jul 06, 2013 02:13am
In Recent World survey Pakistani;s turned out to be least racist, or bias as compare to Indians,who were very High,when they claim to be very open minded,educated, modern and secular.what open mindedness Indians are complaining when all hit movies in India are Anti-Pakistan. Get rid of your own inherited sickness, obsession with Pakistan,as proven by flood of comments here and than talk.
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Jul 06, 2013 03:42am
@Mansoor Khan:
In Ghadar there was a muslim girl and a sikh boy.
Bollywood examples of the otherwise : Gangs of Wasseypur-I, Jodha Akbar, Bol Bachchan etc.
Real life examples of inter-religion marriages : Shah Rukh Khan-Gauri, Sharmila Tagore-Mansoor Ali Khan(Tiger) Pataudi (father of Saif Ali Khan), Hritik Roshan-Suzzane Khan etc
I agree that most of Indian are conservative but that perception is changing and society is changing but few exception are always there !
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Jul 06, 2013 03:13pm
@Bharat Patel:
What are your views on The Indian Panjabi film Saadda Haq "Our Birthright". Indian Censor Board has found the real life events from the days of state terrorism in Panjab in the early 80s as objectionable.
I think every country has the right to censor. In my personal view Indian bollywood is trash and only trash community sees it.
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Jul 06, 2013 05:14pm
they can accept shahruk khan and saif ali khan even if they married hindu girls.
In any case a girl has have every right to marry whoever she want.
This argument that bollywood never shows hindu girl falling for muslim boy itself is so parochial. As if woman are objects and man is hunter. and as if women are only a game for boys and whoever gets it, will be the winner. Why cant these jokers think that women can also get a boy and win. Since zoya gets that hindu boy so mad after her, isnt she the winner?? Is she less muslim than a muslim boy??
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Jul 06, 2013 10:18pm
Muslim girl will enjoy more freedom and yet orthodox Indian culture if she loves a Christian or a English educated Hindu. the dark shuttlecok burqah is inviting them especially after marriage. after all, girl is a piece of flesh which needs to be covered. Christianity and Buddhism offers the best assylum for Muslims. who knows, after 100 years, Pakistan repents and will become the followers of Jesus Christ..Amen
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Jul 07, 2013 03:06am
My Name is Khan, showed a Hindu girl getting married to a Muslim guy, why was that not banned?
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Jul 07, 2013 08:24am
@Anuj:
Might you benefit financially by the import of China-made films? Your post screams the hallmarks of advertising, using terms no average Pakistani viewer would ever use, such as "clean films from China, patriotic, nationalist, Muslims and China never had problems, all the rage in rural Pakistan, lush cinematography, martial arts."
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Jul 07, 2013 09:21am
watch movie before going biased, he falls in love and its only one sided. the movie is more about redemption not religion.
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Jul 07, 2013 11:07am
Who would such a dabba movie anyway. The girl rejects a boy because she finds out he was a Hindu and not a Muslim, and then later falls in love with a Sikh :D
Bollywood should quit using this muslim girl-hindu boy love stories as they are cliches and should come up with original ideas, many movies based on which have become hits over the past few years!
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