Pakistan stops 'Agent Vinod' on track
MUMBAI: Saif Ali Khan's Agent Vinod has been banned in Pakistan. The film will be released this Friday, but not in Pakistan. Abdul Rashid, a distributor in that country, told TOI, "I was to release the film, but have decided against it after watching it. Any film that shows my country or religion in bad light will be thrown out."
Defending the film, director Sriram Raghavan said, "We were cautious about not hurting sentiments. In fact, Kareena plays a Pakistani in the film. There are good people shown in the film except for one. Pakistan has not been shown in a bad light and this will be known to people on Friday. My film deals with today's India and Pakistan, so ISI's mention is bound to be there."
But Rashid said, "I spoke to Eros International as the promos did indicate an anti-Pakistan stance. But they denied it. The film scared us as names of Pakistani officers have been used. Also, the filmmaker has used shots of Karachi and its airport without permission."
Rashid feels entertainment should facilitate the peace process between the two countries and not jeopardize it. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, a proponent of Indo-Pak cultural ties, said the ban proved the sensitive nature of Indo-Pak relationship. "Agent Vinod was much anticipated by fans in Pakistan. I am told that the ban has left many Pakistani cine goers disappointed. My colleagues across the border who have worked very hard to 'normalize' relationships between the two countries suggest that any Indian film to be released in the future should not hurt either the religious or national sentiments of Pakistanis and decelerate the Indo-P ak peace building process."
Pakistan is an important business territory for India, equivalent to Australia. A film like Agent Vinod would have fetched Rs 3-5 crore easily. Rashid said, "I have spent $20,000 on publicity and promotion and the producer is not going to reimburse me for the losses I have incurred." He said the film was bound to upset Pakistanis across the globe.
Pakistani distributor H Rehmati said, "It is unfortunate that this is the second Saif-K areena film that has been banned in Pakistan."
Defending the film, director Sriram Raghavan said, "We were cautious about not hurting sentiments. In fact, Kareena plays a Pakistani in the film. There are good people shown in the film except for one. Pakistan has not been shown in a bad light and this will be known to people on Friday. My film deals with today's India and Pakistan, so ISI's mention is bound to be there."
But Rashid said, "I spoke to Eros International as the promos did indicate an anti-Pakistan stance. But they denied it. The film scared us as names of Pakistani officers have been used. Also, the filmmaker has used shots of Karachi and its airport without permission."
Rashid feels entertainment should facilitate the peace process between the two countries and not jeopardize it. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, a proponent of Indo-Pak cultural ties, said the ban proved the sensitive nature of Indo-Pak relationship. "Agent Vinod was much anticipated by fans in Pakistan. I am told that the ban has left many Pakistani cine goers disappointed. My colleagues across the border who have worked very hard to 'normalize' relationships between the two countries suggest that any Indian film to be released in the future should not hurt either the religious or national sentiments of Pakistanis and decelerate the Indo-P ak peace building process."
Pakistan is an important business territory for India, equivalent to Australia. A film like Agent Vinod would have fetched Rs 3-5 crore easily. Rashid said, "I have spent $20,000 on publicity and promotion and the producer is not going to reimburse me for the losses I have incurred." He said the film was bound to upset Pakistanis across the globe.
Pakistani distributor H Rehmati said, "It is unfortunate that this is the second Saif-K areena film that has been banned in Pakistan."
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