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Tuesday, March 26, 2024
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Fawad Khan’s Maula Jatt release in India just sparked fresh wave of hate

Many Indians are alleging that Hamza Ali Abbasi, an actor in the film, is a supporter of Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

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Fawad Khan is playing around with his Indian fans. Six years after he appeared in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil — the actor has been reportedly cancelled in Bollywood since then — his 2022 Pakistani hit film The Legend of Maula Jatt was slated to debut in India on 30 December. The blockbuster movie, which made $10 million worldwide, is hotly anticipated in the country. Now the release of the movie has been postponed indefinitely.

However, some reports earlier claimed that the film has been recalled by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). What confused fans was that promotional material and banners were running on platforms like BookMyShow, though tickets were unavailable.

On 26 December, Rajender Singh Jyala, chief programming officer of Inox Leisure, announced that the film would be screened in a few theatres where “there are Punjabi-speaking people”. The statement created a stir, given that the last Pakistani movie that was released in India was the Urdu film Bol in 2011.

It was also reported that last week, PVR Cinemas announced the release of The Legend of Maula Jatt on its website, and it was soon taken down.

Hate from India

Political parties such as the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) said they would not allow the film to be screened. “Fawad Khan’s fans — traitors — may very well go to Pakistan and watch the film,” tweeted Ameya Khopkar, president of the cinema wing of the MNS. In another tweet, he said that the party “will not let this film release anywhere in India”.

Fawad Khan’s last appearance in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil finds no mention in The Legend of Maula Jatt credits at all. The Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association (IMPPA) issued a ban on Pakistani artists working in India after the 2016 Uri attack, which claimed the lives of 19 Army personnel.

The Punjabi action drama is a modern re-telling of the 1979 cult classic Maula Jatt. Directed by Bilal Lashari, it explores the rivalry between a local hero named Maula Jatt and ganglord Noori Nath.

Once a Bollywood favourite

Fawad Khan had been a favourite of Bollywood, from Khoobsurat (2014) to  Kapoor & Sons (2016) to Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Mahira Khan, Fawad’s co-star in The Legend of Maula Jatt, too, became popular in India after featuring in the 2017 Bollywood film Raees opposite Shah Rukh Khan.

Many are bashing The Legend of Maula Jatt and saying that Hamza Ali Abbasi, a supporting actor in the film, is allegedly a supporter of Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Additionally, the actor’s alleged support for the ‘Two Nation Theory’ has also come up on social media. Nupur Sharma, editor-in-chief at OpIndia, even went ahead and said: “Why should India provide a platform to this anti-Hindu, anti-India, terror-sympathising Jihadi?”

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