Kathmandu Mayor threatens to stall Adipurush release in Nepal over Sita’s birthplace dialogue

New Delhi, 16th June 2023: The release of the Indian mythological epic film Adipurush in Nepal remains questionable following Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah’s proposal on Thursday to impose a ban on all Hindi films in response to a line of dialogue in the film.

Mayor Shah stated that the creators of Adipurush, a Ramayana adaption starring Prabhas as Lord Ram, contain a line of dialogue in which Sita is referred to as the “daughter of India.”

He stated on social media that Sita is considered Nepal’s daughter, and that the producers have three days to change this sentence if the film is to be released on time.

Mayor Belen said in a tweet, “Until and unless the slogan ‘Janki is a daughter of India’ contained in the South Indian film Adipurush is removed not only in Nepal but also in India, no Hindi film will be allowed to run in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Three days have been given to correct this. Hail to Mother Sita.”

After a few hours, local media claimed that T-Series had cooperated with the demands, and the film had been approved by Nepal’s censor board. However, new rumours arose on Friday morning that the film’s screenings were being cancelled due to a threat to law and order.

The Nepalese Cinema Chain OFX Cinemas quoted by IANS as saying, “Keeping the security of our viewers, QFX is not going to show Adipurush… We are waiting for the government’s decision. As soon as this issue is resolved, we will issue another notice and apologise for the inconvenience to our viewers.”

Adipurush made its global debut on Friday. According to trade expert Manobala Vijayabalan, the film, which also stars Kriti Sanon, Sunny Singh, and Saif Ali Khan, is likely to make more than Rs 130 crore on its opening day.