Ajay Devgn’s ‘Raid’ cleared for release in Pakistan

Upcoming tax fraud drama will hit theatres March 16, after ample deliberation by censor boards

LAHORE: The Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC) of Pakistan and Punjab Film Censor Board (PFCB) held full board meetings on Monday regarding the release of upcoming Indian film Raid.

The Sindh Film Censor Board (SFCB) has cleared the film already and Distribution Club, a film distribution company, has purchased the rights for Raid as well.

Preparations for the release have been in full swing and promotional adverts have hit malls and billboards alike. Raid is an action-thriller written by Ritesh Shah and directed by Raj Kumar Gupta.



It features Bollywood stars Ajay Devgn, lleana D Cruz in the lead, with Sannanad Verma and Saurabh Shukla also among the cast. Bhushan Kumar and Company has produced this film with a mega budget of around INR35 million.

Legendary singer Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s song Sanu Ek Pal Chain Na Aaye is also a part of the film but the one featured in Raid is a remake of the original, sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

As the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is currently roaring, no local films have been scheduled for release until it ends. Nonetheless, this month saw the release of Anushka Sharma’s Pari but the film did not hit local cinema screens due to a ban.

“Pari’s script, dialogues and storyline go against our Islamic values. The concepts within Islam have different ideologies about magic. This film stimulates the viewers in favour of black magic and promotes thoughts that are contradictory to our religion,” a senior member of CBFC told The Express Tribune earlier.



Indian film Padmaavat was also heading towards a ban within Pakistan. “It is sad that the appropriate action was taken when the film had already done well in the country. I think it is useless now as the public has already watched it and seen the inappropriate portrayal of Allauddin Khliji. It’s sad that our censor boards allowed its release but it should have been banned if the nation thinks it was wrong,” said Chaudhary Ejaz Kamran, Chairman Pakistan Film Distributors Associations and senior member Pakistan Film Producers Association.

The Indian films distributors within Pakistan are optimistic and hope to see Raid release soon though. CBFC and PFCB members provided their verdict regarding the release after a full screening of the film. According to SFCB, there seems to be nothing controversial within the film.



“Raid revolves around the issue of tax theft and therefore, according to us, there are no objectionable elements within it. The dialogues and ideologies portrayed within the film do not go against our Islamic values,” said a senior official from PFCB.

Both boards have cleared the film for release under a Universal rating on March 16, 2018. A premiere of Raid will be held in Lahore and according to the Distributions Club officials, preparations are being carried out in this regard.

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.