'The Legend of Maula Jatt' release in India faces political opposition - Exclusive

The theatrical release of 'The Legend of Maula Jatt' in India seems to be in trouble! While the film has won much acclaim across the border, a political party in Maharashtra has decided to pull all stops to stall its release.

ETimes has exclusively learned that the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has taken a stand they will not allow the release of the Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan starrer. Ameya Khopkar, a politician and producer, told us, "We will not allow the release of Pakistani films, nor will we allow their artists to work in Indian films." The movie originally premiered in Pakistan in October 2022 and was gearing up for release in India on October 2. It remains to be seen what political action MNS will take to bar the Pakistani film from arriving in theatres in India.

'The Legend of Maula Jatt' has achieved significant success in Pakistan and internationally. This modern retelling of the 1979 classic is based on Nasir Adeeb’s characters and features Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi, and Humaima Malick, exploring the fierce rivalry between Maula Jatt and Noori Natt.

It is noteworthy that Fawad Khan has featured in Bollywood films like 'Khoobsurat' and 'Kapoor & Sons' in the past and due to political tensions, reports suggested that he had to opt out of future India movies.

An official ban has never been announced from India's side to not release or work with Pakistani actors. But in 2019, Pakistan officially banned the release of Indian films.


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