Nepal bans Hindi films over ‘Adipurush’

Nepal's Kathmandu and Pokhara have imposed a ban on all Hindi films, including "Adipurush", due to a controversy surrounding certain dialogues in the movie. The decision was prompted by objections raised over dialogues that referred to Sita as "India's daughter".

To enforce the ban, police personnel were stationed at 17 cinema halls in Kathmandu, ensuring that no Hindi films were screened. The focal point of the controversy is "Adipurush", a retelling of the epic Ramayana directed by Om Raut, featuring Prabhas and Kriti Sanon in the lead roles.

Kathmandu's mayor Balendra Shah declared that no Hindi films would be allowed to be screened in Kathmandu Metropolitan City until the dialogue "Janaki is a daughter of India" in "Adipurush" is removed, not only in Nepal but also in India. It is widely believed that Sita, also known as Janaki, was born in Janakpur, southeast Nepal.

Following suit, Pokhara announced that "Adipurush" would be prohibited from screening starting from today. Mayor Dhanaraj Acharya of Pokhara Metropolis confirmed the decision, citing the controversy.

The mayor of Kathmandu expressed concerns that showing "Adipurush" without removing the objectionable dialogue would cause "irreparable damage".

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In response to the ban, Radhika Das from Super Cassette Industries Private Ltd, also known as T-Series, wrote a letter to the Kathmandu mayor, expressing that it was never their intention to cause disharmony and requested the film to be viewed in its artistic form.

Meanwhile, T-Series announced that "Adipurush", led by Prabhas, had earned Rs 100 crore globally within three days of its release. The production banner stated that the film had crossed an impressive Rs 340 crores at the box office during its opening weekend, continuing to captivate audiences of all ages.