Screening of Panch Pandav halted days before release despite censor clearance

The screening of Nepali film Panch Pandav has been halted just days before its release, even though the Central Film Censor Board had already cleared it for public screening with a universal certificate.

The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has written to the film's production team ordering it not to screen the film for now. Ministry staff also telephoned the team with a direct instruction not to open bookings, and told them to come to Singha Durbar to collect the letter.

According to the production team, the move followed a request from the Chief District Officer of Nepalgunj to the Home Ministry, which then directed the Communication Ministry to stop the screening.

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The film was due to open in cinemas on Friday, and its team had been in the final stage of publicity when the halt arrived. The sudden order has come as a major blow to a production that had already completed the censor process.

The controversy began with the film's theme poster. A group objected to the poster, saying it hurt their faith, and campaigned for a boycott of the film and its lead actor Hari Bansha Acharya, making what the production side describes as baseless allegations against him.

The Film Development Board has told the filmmakers it will discuss the matter on Friday and try to resolve it.

Although the film looks at first glance like it is based on the Mahabharata, its story is only symbolically connected to the epic. At its heart, the film is about the relationship between brothers.