India puts Pakistani blockbuster film on hold

The release of a blockbuster Pakistani film in India has been put on hold after officials in Delhi refused permission for its screening, the BBC has learnt.

A remake of a 1979 Punjabi film, The Legend of Maula Jatt is the highest-grossing film of all time in Pakistan.

The film was scheduled to hit theaters in the northern Indian state of Punjab on Wednesday, making it the first Pakistani film to hit screens in India in more than a decade.

The South Asian neighbors have a frosty relationship and tensions often affect cultural exchanges between them.

On Wednesday, a source close to Zee Studios – the film’s distributor in India – confirmed to the BBC that the release had been postponed indefinitely after the Information and Broadcasting Ministry denied them permission.

It’s not immediately clear why the film was shelved. The BBC has contacted the ministry for comment.

The 2022 film, starring Pakistan’s biggest stars Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, tells the story of a local folk hero who takes on the leader of a rival clan.

The film was originally scheduled to hit theaters in India in 2022, but its screening was postponed indefinitely – until its maker Bilal Lashari announced last month that it would soon hit Indian theaters.

“For two years now, the house in Pakistan is still full on weekends! Now I can’t wait for our Punjabi audiences in India to experience the magic of this labor of love!” he wrote on Instagram.

However, the news sparked protests in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, where the regional political party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, said it would not allow the film’s release “under any circumstances.” Located in the state, Mumbai is home to Bollywood, India’s largest film industry.

Due to the tensions, Zee Studios decided to limit the film’s release to the state of Punjab, which shares a border and language with Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Despite strained relations, India and Pakistan have always had an affinity for each other’s art and culture.

Films and web series produced in India and Pakistan spread far beyond the border. India’s Bollywood and Punjabi films are particularly popular in Pakistan, while Pakistani series enjoy large viewership in India.

Artists from both countries also have a history of cross-border collaborations and work together on film and music projects.

But such collaborations came to a halt when Bollywood removed Pakistani actors from its program in 2016 and Pakistan banned Indian films in 2019 due to military tensions between the countries.

In the last few months, a number of Punjabi films from India have been screened in Pakistan.

In 2023, India’s Supreme Court dismissed a petition calling for a complete ban on artists from Pakistan, telling petitioners not to be “so narrow-minded”.

Encouraged by this mild thawing of relations and the global success of Maula Jatt, the makers had hoped that the folk drama would attract audiences in India.

The lead actors of Maula Jatt are known in India for their roles in popular Pakistani dramas. You have also appeared in big budget Bollywood films before.