Kathmandu, Pokhara ban Hindi films over Adipurush dialogue row

All Hindi films, including "Adipurush," were banned in Nepal's Kathmandu and Pokhara, following a controversy surrounding certain dialogues in the movies, reports India Today.

The decision was made due to objections raised over dialogues that referred to Sita as "India's daughter."

To enforce the ban, police personnel were deployed across 17 cinemas in Kathmandu, who ensured no Hindi films were screened.

The film at the center of the controversy is "Adipurush," a retelling of the epic Ramayana directed by Om Raut and featuring Prabhas and Kriti Sanon in the lead roles.

Amid the row, Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah declared that no Hindi film would be allowed to run in Kathmandu Metropolitan City until the dialogue "Janaki is a daughter of India" in "Adipurush" is removed, not only in Nepal but also in India.

Sita, also known as Janaki, is believed by many to have been born in Janakpur, southeast Nepal.

Following the suit, Pokhara announced that "Adipurush" would be barred from screening starting from Monday.

Mayor Dhanaraj Acharya of Pokhara Metropolis confirmed that the film would not be allowed to be shown due to the controversy.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Kathmandu said that screening "Adipurush" without removing the objectionable dialogue would cause "irreparable damage."

In a Facebook post, he announced the ban and stated that a notice had been issued three days prior to removing the objectionable portion from the film within that time frame.

LETTER TO KATHMANDU MAYOR

Following the ban, Radhika Das from the Super Cassette Industries Private Ltd, also known as T-Series, wrote a letter to the Kathmandu mayor, saying it was "never intentional or deliberate to cause any disharmony for anyone."

"We request you to view the film in its artistic form and support the intention of reaching out to a larger audience to create interest in our history," she stated in the letter.

"Adipurush," produced by T-Series, Retrophiles, and UV Creations, features Saif Ali Khan as Lankesh (Ravana), Sunny Singh as Shesh (Lakshman), and Devdutta Nage as Bajrang (Hanuman).

Despite the controversy surrounding it, the film has minted Rs 340 crore at the global box office in three days, the makers claimed on Monday.

Production banner T-Series said the movie, fronted by Prabhas, minted Rs 100 crore globally on the third day of its release.

"'Adipurush' continues to captivate audiences across generations, crossing an astounding Rs 340 crores on the opening weekend at the box office! Jai Shri Ram," T-Series said in a statement posted on its official Twitter page.