Official Poster "Haider"
Official Poster “Haider”

To release or not to release: that is the question being raised by the Pakistan Censorship board about the Indian film Haider based on Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.

Although Vishal Bhardwaj’s Haider is getting raving reviews after its premiere in India, it seems that the film might not get the much-needed NOC (No Objection Certificate) by the Pakistan Film Censor Board.

The film which stars Shahid Kapoor, Tabbu, Kay Kay Menon and Shrada Kapoor in the lead has been shot in Kashmir, which led to reservations about its release in Pakistan.

According to a source, the film was previewed and was sent to the Censor Board for approval. However after watching Haider’s preview, the body decided not to go ahead with the release because of some controversial elements related to Kashmir.

Haider was slated for its release on October 2 alongside Hrithik and Katrina starrer Bang Bang, but while the shows for Bang Bang are scheduled in Pakistan, the much awaited Haider is nowhere to be seen.

It is expected that the distributors would not face a loss as they had already anticipated that the film may not be released in Pakistan.

Earlier, a film based on the Indian Army, Holiday, was screened in Pakistan but Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger could not make it to the screens because of the portrayal of anti-Pakistan elements.

Though the reasons were different, Rani Mukherjee’s Mardaani also saw a similar fate.

Haider will be Bhardwaj’s third adaptation of Shakespeare’s plays, previous two being Maqbool (Macbeth) and Omkara (Othello).

 

http://www.dawn.com/news/1135317/indias-haider-might-not-see-the-light-of-day-in-pakistan

 

while in India,  Rants #boycotthaider

 

Boycott Haider: Twitter rages over the controversial movie

Vishal Bharadwaj’s Shahid Kapoor starrer Haider released on Thurday and as reviews raving about the movie hit social media so did a mass call to boycott the movie which Twitter. #BoycottHaider trended as Twitter users claimed the movie was sympathetic to separatists and that it doesn’t account for the suffering of the Kashmiri pandits who were forced to flee the state and insulted the Indian army.

User debated the merits of the movie and its representation of Kashmir as debate over freedom of the speech gripped Twitter. “Any movie that sympathises with terrorists, glorifies them; insults Indian Army & justifies ethnic cleansing,goes to the bin. #BoycottHaider,” Tweeted @Aaditya025.

Courtesy: Facebook

Many users Tweeted at actors in the film, who have so far, refrained from responding. Many of those tweets were personal, while the rest criticised the actors for participating in a movie which “insulted the army”. “@sunandavashisht artist like @shahidkapoor will earn crores defaming army while our army men die everyday to protect India #BoycottHaider,” Tweeted @jagdishp568.

Several people criticised those calling for the boycott, claiming it infringed on the freedom of speech. “When a director is trying to think out of the box and bring something new,learn to accept change instead making #BoycottHaider as a trend,” tweeted @Wordinaire_: