Govt says no to India release of Pakistani film featuring Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan: Report

The release of the Pakistani film The Legend of Maula Jatt, starring Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, will not be allowed in Indian theatres, according to reports. 

It is learnt that the government has taken the decision as Indian films have not been allowed to be released in Pakistan since 2019, ANI reported quoting sources. 

‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’, starring Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, was released in Pakistan in 2022 and became a major hit. The film, which is a remake of the 1979 cult classic ‘Maula Jatt’, clocked over Rs 400 crore at the global box office. 

The film was set to release in India on October 2 this year by Zee Studios. The film would have been the first Pakistani movie to be released in India in 13 years since ‘Bol’, starring Atif Aslam and Humaima Malick, which was released in 2011. 

The release of the film triggered a lot of attention and met with stiff opposition from political parties. 

Earlier this month, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray said the movie would not be released in Maharashtra and warned of action against theatre owners if they allowed its screening. 

The MNS chief Thackeray said that while art has no borders, the same does not apply in the case of Pakistani actors working in India. “Governments should not allow this film to be released in any state of the country, not just Maharashtra,” he added. 

Warning of action against theatre owners if they went ahead with the film’s screening despite MNS’s warning, Raj Thackeray said, “Navratri festival will start around the time when this film will be released. I don’t want any conflict to happen in Maharashtra. The same will not be the desire of the Chief Minister, Home Minister and Director General of Police of the state. And we don’t want any conflict.” 

Pakistani artists were banned from working in India following the 2016 Uri terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. In November last year, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking a complete ban on Pakistani artists from working in India.