'Bullah' screening put on hold

Senate panel calls for title change and dialogue revisions

ISLAMABAD:

A Senate committee on Thursday proposed that the screening of the film 'Bullah' be halted until its title is changed and certain dialogues are revised, after hearing a briefing from the Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC) over objections raised to the movie.

The issue came up during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting, chaired by Senator Sarmad Ali, which reviewed concerns regarding the film's certification process. The film is written by Nasir Adeeb and features Shaan Shahid and Saleem Shah in lead roles.

During the meeting, CBFC officials defended the approval process. They said the film had already been cleared without any cuts by the Punjab and Sindh censor boards under the same title, while the federal board's jurisdiction was confined to Islamabad Capital Territory and cantonment areas.

The officials maintained that the CBFC chairman could not unilaterally reject a film, explaining that certification decisions were taken collectively by the board and that the chairman could exercise only a casting vote in the event of a tie.

They further argued that if the committee believed the film should be banned or its title changed, the matter could be referred to the federal government, which served as the next appellate forum under the relevant legal provisions.

Questioning the board's justification, Senator Pervaiz Rashid said relying on Nasir Adeeb's reputation was not a sufficient basis for defending the film. He remarked that the screenwriter was primarily known for writing violence-based films, particularly 'Maula Jatt', and argued that this did not establish his expertise in history, Pakistan's cultural traditions or prominent national personalities.

Senator Rashid also observed that 'Maula Jatt' had popularised the image of the "gandasa" as a cultural symbol, adding that he had not even been aware of the weapon's existence before the film's release.

Concluding the discussion, committee Chairman Senator Sarmad Ali proposed that the film's title be changed and certain dialogues be revised before it was allowed to be screened. He further suggested that the screening of 'Bullah' remain suspended until the recommended changes had been implemented.

The meeting was attended by Senators Abdul Shakoor Khan, Syed Waqar Mehdi, Pervaiz Rashid and Jan Mohammad, Secretary Information Ashfaq Ahmed Khalil, and officials of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Central Board of Film Censors. APP