Dubai: Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu Thursday called "unfortunate" the decision to ban her latest film, the Kashmiri militant-drama Lamhaa in the UAE. The film was pulled from cinemas across the GCC on Wednesday evening, hours before it was due to open.
"It's unfortunate that so many people in the Middle East want to watch it [Lamhaa], now can't. Hopefully they will rethink their decision and let the film release," said Basu in a text message to Gulf News. Directed by award-winning director Rahul Dholakia, Lamhaa is billed as a gritty tale depicting the lives of ordinary people in strife-torn Kashmir. Basu plays a fiery militant leader in this Sanjay Dutt-starrer.
"Lamhaa has nothing objectionable nor it hurts anyone's sentiments [sic]. It's a human film and people all over the world should see it. It is reality and we can't ban it," said Basu.
Basu is not the only one disappointed with the ban. Its director Rahul Dholakia, whose credits include the award-winning drama Parzania, based on communal riots in Gujarat, is grappling with the unexpected development.
When Gulf News contacted him in Mumbai, he expressed shock and disappointment.
Very sad
"When Parzania was banned from showing in Gujarat, I was very disappointed. But after hearing that my other feature Lamhaa has been banned again — this time in the Middle East — makes me very sad. Lamhaa is a realistic film and does not contain any nude or anti-Islamic scenes. So why this move? People will now just download the film off the internet or watch pirated DVDs. But it is all so wrong," said Dholakia.
Local distributor Al Mansoor says it is adhering to the guidelines of National Media Council and waiting for an official statement from the censor board about the reason behind the ban. Meanwhile, Lamhaa producer, Bunty Walia, points out the Middle Eastern market was an important territory and that the ban will cost him heavily.
Courting controversy
This is not the first time Kashmir-set Lamhaa has courted controversies.
- Premiere in Srinagar cancelled: Lamhaa was tipped to have a star-studded premiere in the state summer capital Srinagar, but it was cancelled by the Jammu and Kashmir government as they feared that the film may ignite riots in the region. "It's ironical that a film that was filmed in Kashmir valley will not be allowed to screen there. But if the government fears a backlash, we can't do anything about it," said producer Bunty Walia.
- Lamhaa has been given an ‘A' [Adult/+18] certificate by the Indian Censor Board: This certificate prompted Bipasha Basu to lash out: "Our film got an ‘A' certificate though there are no adult scenes. It should have got a ‘U/A' certificate because it presents a reality that our kids need to see."
- The film's trailers described Kashmir as "the most dangerous place in the world". India's censor board took issue with the promotional trailers, forcing director Rahul Dholakia to make cuts.
- There were protests by locals on the first day of the shoot: More than 400 Kashmiris, fearing that the film would show them in bad light, gathered around the set and took the cast and crew hostage. "At first we didn't know what was happening," said director Rahul Dholakia. "But after being taken hostage by protesters for more than four or five hours, I could finally reason with them. This set the tone of things to come for us."
