Neerja starring Sonam Kapoor, based on real incidents during the hijacking of the Pan Am Flight 73 at the Karachi airport in 1986, has been banned in Pakistan.
Sonam Kapoor’s ‘Neerja’, based on real incidents during the hijacking of the Pan Am Flight 73 at the Karachi airport in 1986, has been banned in Pakistan allegedly for showing the country in poor light.
In an unusual case the film has been banned here without even being submitted to the censor boards.
The Ram Madhvani-directed movie revolves around Neerja Bhanot, a flight attendant on board a Pan Am Mumbai-New York flight, who was shot dead by terrorists during the hijacking while trying to save the lives of passengers.
Advertisements of the movie in some newspapers had shown its release across many cineplexes and single screen theatres in Pakistan on February 19 but it has emerged that the ministry of commerce had initially authorized the import of the film but later changed their decision.
“The ministry issued us a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to import the film and bring it to Pakistani territory but later on revoked the NOC,” an official with IMGC Entertainment said.
Mobasher Hasan, who heads the Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC), said that the decision to not allow import of the film had come from the information and commerce ministry. “The film was never brought to us for censorship,” he said, adding the commerce and information ministry had also asked the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulation Authority (PEMRA) to ensure that “Neerja” is not shown on cable channels throughout Pakistan.
An official at the commerce ministry said that due to objectionable nature of the content which portrayed Pakistan in poor light the certificate to import the film was revoked. IMGC Executive Director Abid Rasheed admitted that there were certain anti-Pakistan elements in “Neerja” and it showed Muslims in negative light. “This might not have gone down well with local audiences,” he speculated. Pakistan had earlier banned big banner Indian films like “Haider”, “Phantom” and “Ek Tha Tiger”.
Indian films have done well in Pakistan since a ban on their screening was lifted during the tenure of former military dictator and President Pervez Musharraf. Bollywood movies are generally credited for the film business booming again in the country and also leading to a revival of the Pakistani film industry.
BRAVE-HEART NEERJA THIRD CHANDIGARH PERSONALITY TO FEATURE IN BOLLYWOOD FILM
Chandigarh may not be a historical city but the courage and determination of three personalities from here have put them on the country's cinematic map.
"Neerja", a film based on the youngest of these three, will release on February 19. It deals with the heroics of the then 23-year-old Pan Am chief flight purser Neerja Bhanot, who sacrificed her life to save the lives of several passengers from terrorists during a hijack on the ground at Karachi on September 5, 1986.
Two other blockbuster movies, "Border" (1997) had featured the battle of Longewala in which Chandigarh resident Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri (retired) had earned laurels, and in the more recent "Bhag Milkha Bhag" (2013), a biopic on 'Flying Sikh' and Chandigarh resident Milkha Singh, had highlighted his athletic racing days.
"I am happy that three people from Chandigarh have been featured prominently in Bollywood movies. It is a great coincidence. It is good to highlight achievements of people who have contributed for the country," Brigadier Chandpuri, who was the first person from Chandigarh (population one million) on whom a Bollywood movie was made, told IANS at his Sector 33 residence here.
Chandpuri, who was a major during the 1971 India-Pakistan war, had held his post through the night in the famous battle of Longewala in Rajasthan with just 120 men against a full-fledged attack by advancing Pakistani Patton tanks. He was decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) - the second highest award for bravery in battle - for the heroic stand-off against the tanks and forcing the enemy to retreat.
"This is a nice coincidence that films have been made on three people from Chandigarh. It is very good that a film has been made on the courage shown by Neerja," her brother Aneesh Bhanot told IANS here.
"By bringing the story back to the youth, the film is doing great service to the community. Many youths don't even know her (Neerja's) story. The film tells them that there is nothing to fear, even as a woman, from terrorists or anyone," Aneesh said, adding that Neerja's family, which resides in Sector 46 here, was very happy that her story was being recreated on screen.
While "Border" was based on real-life incidents, "Bhag Milkha Bhag" and "Neerja" are biopics.
The story of legendary athlete Milkha Singh, a resident of Chandigarh's Sector 8, was highlighted in the Farhan Akhtar-starrer directed by Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra. The film was the top grosser in 2013.
As for braveheart Neerja Bhanot, her part in the film is being played by actress Sonam Kapoor. Director Ram Madhvani said that he was content with Sonam's performance. Leading fashion photographer Atul Kasbekar has produced the film.
"Sonam has done complete justice to her performance in 'Neerja'," Madhvani said in Mumbai recently.
Neerja, who was the chief flight purser of Pan-Am 73 (Bombay-Karachi-Frankfurt-New York) flight, was killed in the shootout following the hijack. Libyan terrorists had entered the aircraft posing as Pakistani police personnel, carrying arms and hand grenades.
The hijack had left 20 people dead and 150 others injured after a bloodbath at the Karachi airport. There were around 200 Indian passengers on the flight, of whom 13 died while over 100 were injured.
Following her act of bravery and supreme sacrifice, Neerja was posthumously conferred the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award for bravery, in 1987. She became the youngest and first woman recipient of the gallantry award.
