The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Thursday offered to permit the screening of recently banned film ‘Maalik’ in the province but the federal censor board hit back with a warning promising stern action against cinemas violating the Motion Pictures Ordinance 1979.
KP Information Adviser Mushtaq Ghani feels the film should be shown in the entire country.
“The filmmaker has made an effort to address corruption but the government has taken action against it and banned it. We have zero-tolerance for corruption here,” he said, adding that after the 18th Amendment, censorship falls under the provinces.
“The government is against corruption, that’s why KP has no objection to the film. If the producer comes to KP and asks to show the film in cinemas, we will facilitate them,” Ghani said.
Federal Censor Board (FCB) Chairman Mubashir Khan, however, pointed out that almost all cinemas in KP are located in cantonment areas, thereby falling under the Motion Picture Ordinance 1979. He said that strict action would be taken under the ordinance against cinemas that screened the banned film.
Khan said the film was banned to avoid a law and order situation in the country following public complaints.
The federal government banned the film nationwide in a notification issued Wednesday, declaring the Urdu feature film “uncertified” according to Section 9 of the Motion Pictures Ordinance, 1979.
The film, released three weeks ago, had generated complaints regarding its controversial depiction of the Taliban and parallels with the assassination of a prominent government official by his personal security guard.
In a blink-and-you’ll miss it move on Tuesday night, the Sindh government decided to ban the film Maalik and then revoked that notice all in the space of a few hours.
The Culture Ministry had drafted a notification ordering a ban on the movie for being ‘biased’ and inciting violence.
However, before it was formally issued, the Sindh chief minister intervened and asked the ministry not to issue it as it would be ‘against the freedom of expression’.
The film team had assured the Sindh government objectionable scenes would be cut, but the film’s certification was revoked as it wasn’t done.
REASONS BEHIND BAN:
FCB Chairman Mubashir Hasan said they had received public complaints from all over Pakistan, including places like Mardan and Peshawar.
“People were threatening to burn down cinemas and other public properties so we proposed the Information Ministry to de-certify the film to avoid a major catastrophe and a law and order situation.”
It seems a little dodgy however, that a film that has been running in cinemas for over three weeks gets banned just a few days before it was expected to be taken off, due to a lack of public demand.
“We had been receiving complaints since the release of the film and not just recently. As far as the urgency of the ban is concerned, we took this measure keeping the sensitivity of the situation and public reaction against it in mind, and to keep the lives and property of the cinema industry safe,” added Hasan.
Here are the six major objections that were drafted in the situation report as shared by the Federal Censor Board:
- The film shows that there is lawlessness in the country and incites the common man to take law in his hands.
- Portrayal of the law enforcement agencies is generalised and gives the impression that the police of the entire country is incapable and corrupt.
- An ex-mujahid of the Afghan war who joins forces with the Taliban in the film has been given the respect of a hero or a patriot at his burial.
- A Pathan girl was shown being raped in the film and there was no need of so categorically defining her ethnicity.
- People have been given the impression that the political system as a whole is corrupt and incapable, and all the politicians are busy minting money.
- Voters feel the film is a disgrace to their role in the political system.
Ban challenged in Lahore High Court
A petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court on Thursday, challenging the ban imposed by the federal government on Pakistani political-thriller film ‘Maalik’.
The plaintiff states that the movie does not spread any kind of ‘anarchy’ and the government has no right to ban the film.