Adipurush row | Indian films stopped showing in Kathmandu

The Mayor of Kathmandu, Balindra Shah, on June 18 ordered all cinema halls in the Nepalese capital to stop showing all Bollywood films. It came three days after Mr. Shah issued an ultimatum to the Indian filmmakers Adeporush He urges them to delete a part in which the dialogue refers to Sita as “the daughter of India”.

Mr. Shah called the dialogue misleading as he believed that Sita was the daughter of King Janak of Janakpur. Controversy in Nepal is the latest to enter the film, which sparked controversy over its controversial dialogue.

“Three days ago we called my maker Adeporush To remove the objectionable section showing Janaki as an Indian woman. Defending Nepal’s sovereignty, independence and self-respect is the first duty of all Nepalese governments, NGOs and Nepalese citizens. No Indian film will be allowed to be shown in the Kathmandu municipal area until such time as this objectionable part of the film is removed,” said Mr. Shah.

The second controversy

Nepal is proud of its association with Sita, the female heroine of the epic Ramayana. Janakpur in Nepal is believed to be the home of Sita as her father King Janak had his kingdom. Because of her roots, Sita is also known as Janaki, daughter of Janak. The case added to the list of disputes that Nepal has had in recent years with India, starting with the unresolved Kalapani dispute on both sides. This is the second controversy to plague bilateral relations since May 28 when Nepalese leaders slammed a mural of Akhand Bharat in the new Indian Parliament for depicting Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautama Buddha, as part of the ancient Indian mainland. .

Controversy over Hindi films in Nepal is not new despite the fact that many of Bollywood’s notable names like Manisha Koirala and singer Udit Narayan have roots in Nepal and are often seen as cultural ambassadors between the two countries. In the year 2000, riots and protests broke out in Nepal due to anti-Nepal comments by film actor Hrithik Roshan who was at that time at the peak of his popularity. Roshan later denied making the comments. But for a long period of time, Nepal’s relations with Bollywood were strained due to this controversy.

Nepal considers both Lumbini and Janakpur an integral part of its identity as the two places are inextricably linked with the history and mythology of the Indo-Nepalese culture spanning the Hindu and Buddhist religions.