Although Pakistan banned Indian content in 2019 following India’s axing of Article 370, a reported NOC request submitted to the information ministry may pave the way for Aamir Khan-starrer Laal Singh Chaddha to be screened across Pakistan.
No Bollywood movie has been screened in Pakistan since 2019. A rumor suggesting that Laal Singh Chaddha would be the exception to that rule, however, recently went viral. The movie is being released by Paramount Pictures and is being imported in Pakistan by The Cinepax Media Group, according to The Express Tribune.
Cinepax Media Group general manager Saad Baig said: “We have applied for the NOC with the information ministry. If we receive the NOC, then the film will be released in Pakistan.”
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and the Sindh Board of Film Certification, however, remained adamant that no Indian films would release in Pakistan. While sources at the ministry confirmed an NOC had been submitted, they denied anNOC had been issued. “Laal Singh Chaddha is an Indian film and following our policy, the ministry did not issue any NOC for the release of Indian film in Pakistan.”
Industry sources believe there is a fair chance the film may be released in Pakistan. “The DCP of Laal Singh Chaddha is already here and the film has already been ingested in the system of cinemas of the adjoining locations such as Gujranwala.”
Laal Singh Chaddha stars Bollywood superstars Amir Khan and Kareena Kapoor and is a remake of the 1994 Hollywood film Forrest Gump. It follows a similar story of a history being dictated through the life of a rather-dim-witted man played by Aamir Khan.
