Pad Man

'Pad Man' not released yet in Pakistan

Feb 112018

Indian actor Akshay Kumar’s “Pad Man”, a film highlighting awareness on menstrual hygiene, has not yet been released in Pakistan

padman look

Indian actor Akshay Kumar’s “Pad Man”, a film highlighting awareness on menstrual hygiene, has not yet been released in Pakistan. But a senior official says it has not been denied a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for import into Pakistan.

“Pad Man” tells a story of a Arunachalam Muruganantham’s journey to make affordable sanitary napkins. A section of the media have said that it has been banned in Pakistan due to its sensitive subject.

But Pakistan Censor Board chief Mobashir Hasan says the decision on NOC was yet to be taken as the film had not yet been “pre-viewed by the Central Board of Film Censors”.

A statement, posted on Hasan’s Twitter account and shared with IANS via a messaging app, read: “The decision to issue an NOC by the Ministry of Information Broadcasting National History and Literary Heritage is yet to be taken on the release of a foreign feature film ‘Pad Man’ as the film has not yet been pre-viewed by the … Censors.”

A Pakistani media report said Pakistani film importers have come under attack over the Akshay Kumar-starrer on grounds of ruining Islamic traditions, history and culture.

Hasan then said: “The decision to grant NOC to the subject film will be based on the merit and criteria of the … Censors, not vexatious, false and irresponsible political motives being created on various media platforms on the back of the film.

“It is advisable to maintain principles of integrity whilst making statements on any issues… Good values are the foundation upon which we will build a prosperous Pakistan, not upon a decision of releasing a solitary film,” he added.

Directed by R. Balki, “Pad Man” is based on a short story from Twinkle Khanna’s book “The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad”. It released in India, Russia, Ivory Coast and Iraq on Friday.

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Clash between Aiyaary and Akki’s Pad Man could have been avoided: Sidharth Malhotra

Celebrities

Jan 252018

akshay-sid Neeraj Pandey’s directorial that was first scheduled for release of January 25, 2018, shifted it’s release date to February 9, 2018 to avoid clash and give Akshay Kumar starrer “Pad Man” a solo release.

But, then, Akshay shifted his release date from January 25, 2018 to February 9, 2018 to give SLB’s “Padmaavat” a solo release. This means Akshay again initiated a box office battle with “Aiyaary” team who averted the clash in the first place.

Now, during an interaction with IANS, Sidharth Malhotra, who plays a pivotal role in “Aiyaary”, was asked about the clash.

To this, he revealed that the clash between his film and Akki’s “Pad Man” could have been avoided. But he says he can only hope for the best now.

“Aiyaary”, which has a patriotic vibe, was originally slated for release on January 25 to make the most of the long Republic Day weekend.

However, Akshay Kumar, as a move in support of Sanjay Leela Bhansali and to let “Padmaavat” get a solo release, shifted “Pad Man” to February 9, bringing the situation back to square one — clashing with “Aiyaary”.

Sidharth says: “Yes, it irritates, but now it’s too late. What can we do now? Look, we announced the date first. When ‘Pad Man’ makers unveiled their release date, we were gracious enough to shift our release date to avoid the clash.

“This situation could have resolved earlier, people could have stuck to their dates, respecting others’ space. I was not expecting the makers of ‘Pad Man’ to release their film with us, especially the second time. We thought we will get a solo release.

“See, eventually the fate of the film will speak for itself. We are confident about our film, it has its audience. Now that we cannot change anything, we can hope for the best.”

In “Aiyaary”, Sidharth plays an Army officer who has an ideological difference with another senior officer, played by Manoj Bajpayee. The movie also features Rakul Preet Singh, Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah.