Kathmandu, September 11
Vishwa Hindu Mahasangh, Shiv Sena Nepal, Vishwa Hindu Yuva Sangh, Jagatguru Ashram, and 13 other organizations affiliated with Hindu Jagaran Nepal have jointly submitted a request to the Film Development Board, urging them to halt the screening of Ek Bhagavad Gita.
They have argued that the title and characters of the movie have hurt Sanatan Dharma. Accordingly, the board has reportedly stopped the approval process of the film.
Meanwhile, the film has registered a complaint against the decision of the board. The movie is scheduled to release on September 15.
KL Budhathoki, the spokesperson of the board, stated that due to complaints received by the board and its affiliated Ministry, efforts are being made to facilitate a dialogue between the two opposing sides.
In the complaint filed at the board, the President of Jagaran Nepal, Ramkrishna Pokhrel, has argued that the title of the film has no connection with the essence of the story and has been used only for commercial purposes.
“We have no objection if the title of the movie is changed before its release,” said Pokhrel.
Film producer Sunil Kumar Thapa stated that the film was produced after obtaining approval from the board regarding its title.
“The title was approved by the board. Now, if we change the title, we will suffer a commercial loss”, said Thapa.
He said there is a committee tasked with evaluating the film and its conveyed messages.
“I am prepared to respect the verdict they watch the film. However, it would be unjust to us if the evaluation process is prematurely halted,” said Thapa.
Directed by Jharna Thapa, the film stars Bipin Karki, Suhana Thapa and Dhiraj Magar, among others.
