Five states - the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman - will not show Lamhaa, which claims to tell the true story behind violence in the Muslim-majority region.
“We got the film cleared from the Indian government and there was nothing objectionable,” said director Rahul Dholakia, “But the Gulf film authorities didn’t feel so. I am extremely disappointed.”
Dholakia said he was shocked the film had been banned as he believed it was about “peace and brotherhood”.
Producer Bunty Walia said the film’s Middle East distributor had confirmed the ban. “Lamhaa has been banned in the Middle East. According to the censors there, it is a highly objectionable and controversial subject. The Indian government passed it, I don’t know why they have refused to let it screen in their countries,” said Walia.
Walia went on to express his fears about the financial risks related to the ban, “This news has really dampened my spirits. The Middle East is a huge market for Bollywood movies these days and we could suffer a huge setback because of this ban. There is definitely a lot of money at stake that could have been recovered from that region, but more than that, I am sad that the audience there can’t see a film like Lamhaa.”
The film, which was released in India on Friday, stars the veteran actor Sanjay Dutt, as well as Bipasha Basu and Kunal Kapoor.
“Ban on an honest film? What happened to the freedom of expression?” Basu wrote on the micro-blogging website Twitter. She later posted, “I just hope all watch this [film]. Whatever is the fate of this film, I am proud to be a part of it.”
Male lead, Dutt also protested through Twitter. “First the premiere of Lamhaa was not allowed in Kashmir. Now the Middle East puts a ban on the release of the film in their countries,” Dutt complained.
The ban also left supporting actor Anupam Kher equally clueless. “I am shocked to learn that Lamhaa is banned in the Middle East. Why? Without even seeing the film. And we talk about progress and culture. Sad,” Kher tweeted.
Lamhaa had already fallen foul of India’s censors and Kashmiris themselves, as resentment runs high in the volatile Himalayan region.
The Indian censor board took issue with promotional trailers for the thriller and reportedly objected to its description of Kashmir as “the most dangerous place in the world”, forcing Dholakia to make cuts.
Locals were also reported to have forced the film crew to reshoot a scene, angered at its depiction of the region which has been wracked by fighting and separatist protests for decades.
While the film continues to face incessant hurdles, Dholakia has plans to take it to another level. The extensive research that the director has put into the making of Lamhaa will now be extended beyond the film and will be turned into a book on the politics of Kashmir.
Dholakia feels he has enough material to expose what he calls “the business of keeping militancy alive in the valley”.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 17th, 2010.
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