A court in Nepal on Thursday lifted the ban on Hindi films in various regions of the country. The court also asked the authorities to not halt the screening of Hindi movies including ‘Adipurush’ in the cinemas of Nepal. The judgment was not taken well by Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah, who first imposed the ban. He said that he is ready to face any punishment but will not allow the screening of the film.
Patan High Court judge Dhir Bahadur Chand ruled that ‘Adipurush’ has clearance from the censor board and should not be stopped from screening. Expressing his disagreement, Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah said that he is ready to take any kind of punishment but will not let Adipurush screen in theaters across Nepal. He said that the matter has a lot to do with “Nepal’s sovereignty and independence” which he cannot let down.
Shah shared a Facebook post which reads, “The film's writer said that Nepal was under India, this clearly shows India’s ill intention. To term this as a stunt by the Nepal government and to issue an order by the court in favour of screening the movie means, to accept that Nepal was once under India’s rule, the court and the government are both the slaves of India.” On the other hand, Patan High Court judge Dhir Bahadur Chand stated that the screening of films that have permission from the censor board should not be stopped screening as it’s unethical. While, Bhaskar Dhungana, the President of the Nepal Motion Picture Association, informed the media that they will screen all movies after a permission from the censor board. He added, "Now we will screen all movies passed by the censor board.