Shocking: Lahore premiere of Mahira Khan’s 'Verna' cancelled

It appears Shoaib Mansoor’s comeback film Verna, starring Mahira Khan and Haroon Shahid, is in some serious trouble with the censors.

In a shocking turn of events, the film is going through a tedious tide.

Due to the non-issuing of a censor certificate by the censor board, tonight's Verna premiere in Lahore has been cancelled. For those of you who aren't aware, a censor certificate is mandatory for a film to release.

The film is rumoured to be objectionable due to its 'mature and edgy content', which may not have sat well with the censors.

This is all too astonishing, considering how fervently and zealously Mahira and Haroon have been promoting the movie. They've been literally everywhere among up viewers as to what's in store for them. And due to that 'over-promotion', this news comes as more of a disappointment.

PHOTO: PUBLICITY



The Sindh Board of Film Censors (SBFC) general secretary Abdul Razzaq Khuhawar told The Express Tribune the film was objectionable on the basis of its subject.

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“The topic is rape, and the culprit is the governor’s son. The film doesn’t have to be banned, and can be tweaked and censored a bit to be deemed fit for release.”

He said the SBFC hasn’t certified it yet as they’re waiting for a decision from Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC) Islamabad. On the other hand, CBFC chairman Mobashir Hasan said, “The film is yet to be viewed by the full board and see if there are any objections.

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Film-maker Shoaib Mansoor has gone into appeal with censor board today for urgent relief for his film Verna. The film will be hopefully reviewed by full board today and we are hoping that the full board will prevail.



"Nothing has been decided and the film is not banned so far. We will view it and come to a final decision soon,” further revealed Mobashir Hasan.

We will update as more developments occur on the fate of Verna.

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