A still from Neerja.
Karachi:
Ram Madhvani's Neerja, which stars Sonam Kapoor as slain stewardess Neerja Bhanot, has been banned in Pakistan for allegedly portraying the country in poor light.
Neerja documents the story of Neerja Bhanot, who was killed in the 1986 hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi.
"The ministry issued us a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to import the film and bring it to Pakistani territory, but later on revoked the NOC," an official with IMGC Entertainment said.
Mobasher Hasan, who heads the Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC), said that the decision to not allow import of the film had come from the information and commerce ministry.
"The film was never brought to us for censorship," he said, adding that the commerce and information ministry had also asked the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulation Authority (PEMRA) to ensure that Neerja is not shown on cable channels throughout Pakistan. (Also Read: Sonam Kapoor: We're Not Trying to Sell Neerja)
An official at the commerce ministry said that due to objectionable nature of the content which portrayed Pakistan in poor light, the certificate to import the film was revoked.
IMGC Executive Director Abid Rasheed admitted that there were certain anti-Pakistan elements in Neerja and it showed Muslims in negative light.
Neerja documents the story of Neerja Bhanot, who was killed in the 1986 hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi.
"The ministry issued us a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to import the film and bring it to Pakistani territory, but later on revoked the NOC," an official with IMGC Entertainment said.
Mobasher Hasan, who heads the Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC), said that the decision to not allow import of the film had come from the information and commerce ministry.
"The film was never brought to us for censorship," he said, adding that the commerce and information ministry had also asked the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulation Authority (PEMRA) to ensure that Neerja is not shown on cable channels throughout Pakistan. (Also Read: Sonam Kapoor: We're Not Trying to Sell Neerja)
An official at the commerce ministry said that due to objectionable nature of the content which portrayed Pakistan in poor light, the certificate to import the film was revoked.
IMGC Executive Director Abid Rasheed admitted that there were certain anti-Pakistan elements in Neerja and it showed Muslims in negative light.
