The Central Board of Film Censors of Pakistan recently viewed producer Mahesh Bhatt's Awarapan for a release in Pakistan.  | Certificate from the Pakistani Central Board of Film Censors for Awarapan |
Only recently the distributor, Studio 18, received news that Awarapan has been cleared by the Pakistani censors. This means that the film will create history, making it the first mainstream Bollywood release to have a cinema release in Pakistan. According to Sohail Khan, the film's executive producer in Pakistan said, "This is a great moment for us. Everyone here looks forward to quality Bollywood products and watches them on cable and on DVD. Now they will have the opportunity to watch it on the big screen."
Khan added that Awarapan would release in key cities like Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi, to name a few, on as many as 15 to 17 prints.
Director Mohit Suri remarked, "I feel proud of Awarapan crossing the border. That was the underlying theme of the film. The barriers have been broken and I am looking forward to the response from the Pakistani audience."
Awarapan which is currently showing in UK cinemas is the first solo film for lead star Emraan Hashmi, who also performed live on stage at the IIFA 2007 Awards ceremony in Sheffield last month. News feed by Manish Gajjar BBC Bollywood Correspondent |