Manama: A Bollywood concert expected to last more than three hours has been cancelled by the Qatari authorities, citing the presence of a film star famous for her racy roles.
Reports in the Qatari capital Doha said that Sunny Leone, an actress with racy roles and who most recently starred in “erotica horror” film Ragini MMS 2 and 2015’s Ek Paheli Leela, was supposed to take part in the show.
Faleh Al Ajlan Al Hajiri, the head of the Directorate of Culture at the Ministry of Culture and Sports, said the Mega Bollywood Night scheduled on March 18 would not go ahead following the failure of the organisers to comply with the regulations for the licence.
Al Hajiri said there could be no tolerance when it comes to disrespect of Islamic value and traditions and customs of the state, Qatari daily Al Raya reported on Friday.
However, Al Hajiri refused to comment on the participation of Leone, saying that any cultural or artistic event that is organized in Qatar is given the licence only if it complies with the public morals of the Qatari society.
According to Doha News, 7,000 tickets have already been sold for the Mega Bollywood Night at the Asian Town Amphitheater with comedian Sunil Pal, dancer Nirmal Tamang and pop star Himal for a 3.5-hour show.
Organizers Arun Valley Entertainment said they had already secured the necessary permits from the Ministry of Culture before they started promoting the show, the news site reported.
However, they told Doha News that they were recently called into a meeting and told that Leone would not be allowed to be part of the programme.
Organisers said that the event’s programme did not feature anything that would violate the Qatar’s norms or social values, but added that everyone who had already purchased tickets could receive a refund.
