Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha, whose movie ‘Mulk’ hits theatres today, has written a letter to Pakistani citizens. Expressing his displeasure over the Pakistan censor board banning the movie, he has urged Pakistanis to watch the movie by any means possible, even if illegal.
While praising his movie and claiming that it is all about love and co-existence, Sinha, ironically, tries to belittle and defame his own countrymen. Addressing the letter to ‘Dear citizens of Pakistan’, Sinha’s first line of the letter is ‘some losers back home will call me anti-national for calling you dear citizens of Pakistan’.
He then goes ahead to claim how his movie is neither pro-Muslim of stereotyping Muslims but it is about love and co-existence. Ironically, in a letter that begins with calling his own countrymen as ‘losers’, Sinha does not even have one word of criticism against the Pakistan government for banning his movie.
The letter goes ahead to claim how his movie is all about love and he then expresses his displeasure over his movie being banned in Pakistan and urges Pakistanis to watch it ‘illegally if they must’.
Pakistan’s Federal Censor Board had banned the movie yesterday.
Sinha’s attempt to encourage Pakistanis to engage in cinema piracy was criticised by many on social media.
PIRACY FUNDS DRUGS AND TERROR. But tab tak hi jab tak meri movie release nahi ho rahi ho. pic.twitter.com/43oAsweRLu
— Smoking Skills (@SmokingSkills_) August 3, 2018
New Poster of #Mulk after getting banned in Pakistan ??? pic.twitter.com/qK4nnUOGcC
— Shash (@pokershash) August 3, 2018
The promoters and makers of Mulk had run a media campaign stating some statistical data over the alleged discrimination Indian Muslims have to face. It generated a social media backlash after people alleged that they are quoting unverified data to garner cheap publicity for their film. Anubhav Sinha was also in the news for giving statements where he had claimed that Muslims are becoming terrorists because Hindu miscreants are being facilitated.
They were bending backwards, licking Pakistan’s shoes, calling Hindus Intolerant, prompting communal divide, and what not for their film! Now that film is banned in their favourite Mulk and running in Hindu Rashtra. Hello @taapsee and @chintskap , Vande Mataram ?! pic.twitter.com/4ebIWkJW9L
— गीतिका (@ggiittiikkaa) August 3, 2018
Even veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, who plays the lead role in the movie, had been very affectionate in his approach towards Pakistan’s new probable PM-elect Imran Khan. In a tweet that was mocked widely as brazen and opportunistic movie promotion, he had asked Imran Khan to help better bilateral ties with India.
Banning Indian movies is very common in Pakistan. Recent movies to be banned included ‘Padman’, ‘Veere Di Wedding’, ‘Raazi’ and Anushka Sharma’s ‘Pari’.
