Weeks after Shah Rukh Khan‘s Pathaan released in theatres worldwide, illegal screenings were reported in Pakistan and the Sindh Board of Films Censor (SBFC) has now taken action in the matter. The screenings that were being held at Defence Housing Authority in Karachi, have now reportedly stopped. Directed by Siddharth Anand, Pathaan stars Deepika Padukone, Dimple Kapadia, John Abraham and Ashutosh Rana, along with Shah Rukh. (Also read: Siddharth Anand reacts to Pathaan facing boycott: ‘Audience sees through agenda’)
A report in a Pakistani daily said that tickets for the screening were being sold online for ₹900 (Pakistani rupee) each. The report said these were private screenings being held by Fireworks Events.
Dawn also quoted SBFC as saying, “No person shall make or arrange a public or private exhibition of a film by means of cinematograph unless the film has been duly certified for public exhibition by the Board.” It added that screening of films not certified by the board may cause upto three years of imprisonment and fines upto Rs100,000 (Pakistani rupee), for those responsible. The Sindh Board of Film Censor has demanded the Firework Events to cancel its shows immediately and the screening have been cancelled.
A different report in the Pakistani daily also shared details of the screening, revealing that it was supposed to be “not HD, but really good and clear”. It added that the screen size was 8ft by 10ft, confirming that it was not a regular movie theatre screening Pathaan.
In 2019, Indian filmmakers and producers decided against working with any Pakistani artists and Pakistani filmmakers made a similar decision regarding artists from India. The screening of films from each other’s countries also stopped then.
Meanwhile, Pathaan continues to rule the box office and has broken several records the world over. It has already crossed the numbers for Aamir Khan’s Dangal collections and is now the first Hindi film to cross ₹400 crore in India. Pathaan team recently held a success bash, where Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and Siddharth Anand shared their experience of working in Pathaan.