NEW DELHI: Bowing to pressure from a breakaway faction of the ruling Maoists, theatres across Nepal have stopped showing Indian movies to express solidarity with the outfit’s anti-India stand.

“Fifty cinema houses, which were showing Hindi films, stopped screening Indian movies from Monday,” said Raj Kumar Rai, Chairman of Nepal Film Producers Association.

“We have expressed solidarity to the Maoists’ demand to stop screening of Hindi movies in cinemas across the country,” Rai told PTI. The move has affected entertainment of around 100,000 people and caused loss of millions of rupees, he said.

“Although we are not against Hindi cinema, we have agreed to halt the screening of Hindi movies for the next 10 days so as to promote Nepalese movies,” he said. The CPN-Maoist, led by hardline leader Mohan Vaidya, had issued a warning at the end of last month, saying that Indian films were spreading “hatred against Nepal”. The outfit also threatened to stop movement of vehicles bearing Indian number plate from entering Nepal as part of its 70-point demand submitted to the government.

However, the party had allowed the movement of Indian vehicles carrying essentials like cooking gas, diesel and kerosene.

By arrangement with the Times of India