‘Raazi’ banned from releasing in Pakistan

LAHORE: The Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal-starrer Raazi will not be releasing in Pakistan. Due to its controversial content, no distributor has agreed to purchase the film. While the Meghan Gulzar-helmed project is slated to release in India on May 11, this news comes as a major disappointment for Bollywood fans on our side of the border.

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'Raazi' trailer hints at complicated Indo-Pak relationship

"It is disappointing to see that films on controversial subjects are being produced in India time and again,” a senior distribution company official told The Express Tribune. “All our distributors are well aware about Alia’s role in Raazi and so, no one is willing to purchase the film. Patriotism is another reason for distributors not being pushed about buying the film. Indian producers should know that all our distributors have unanimously decided to boycott such controversial films.”

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Co-produced by Vineet Jain and Karan Johar, the film has been made under the banner of Dharma Productions. An adaptation of Harinder Sikka’s novel, Calling Sehmat, the film features an Indian spy (Alia) who marries a Pakistani man (Vicky) during the Indo-Pak war of 1971. It has been shot in different cities of India.

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In an interview with The Hindu earlier, Vicky stated that it would be unfair to call Raazi just a war film, as the movie explores much deeper themes in its narrative. “The film is not just about the Indo-Pak war, it is much deeper than that. It is about an individual relationship. It is also about an era when there was tension between the two countries and during that time a Kashmiri woman married a Pakistani major.”

'Raazi' is more than just an Indo-Pak war film, says actor

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Vicky went on to share that the film is about how they make choices at the crossroads of duties and emotions, which will not only affect their lives but also the future of their respective countries. “I wasn’t worried that I am playing a Pakistani, so it should be shown in a certain light. I think the story does the work. People will realise it is not an India-Pakistan war film.”



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