Release of Pakistani Film ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ Halted in India Following Court Order
The release of the Pakistani blockbuster The Legend of Maula Jatt, starring Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, has been postponed in India due to a court-issued stay order. The movie was originally scheduled to hit theaters in Punjab, India, on October 2, but officials in Delhi denied the necessary permissions, according to a report by the BBC.
Nadeem Mandviwalla, the film’s distributor, confirmed that an Indian court had issued the stay order following a petition from a ministry. However, the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has not provided a clear explanation for why the release was blocked.
This would have marked the first Pakistani film to be screened in India in over a decade. The Legend of Maula Jatt is a modern remake of the 1979 Punjabi classic and is currently Pakistan’s highest-grossing film. The story follows a local folk hero in his battle against a rival clan leader.
The film’s release in India was initially planned for 2022 but faced delays. Director Bilal Lashari had recently announced in September that the film would soon be shown in Indian theaters, expressing his excitement on Instagram for Indian audiences to experience the film’s magic.
However, opposition arose from India’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), a political party led by Raj Thackeray, which publicly opposed the release of the movie. Ameya Khopkar, an MNS politician and film producer, reiterated the party’s stance, stating that Pakistani films and artists would not be allowed in India. He also criticized an Indian company for spearheading the release plan and vowed to block the film’s release across the country.
The future of The Legend of Maula Jatt in India remains uncertain as the situation unfolds.
