Islamabad: A week after the release of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Pathaan’, the Sindh Board of Films Censor has stopped the illegal public screening of the action thriller film across various venues.

“No person shall make or arrange a public or private exhibition of a film by means of cinematograph unless the film has been duly certified for public exhibition by the Board,” read a statement by the censor board after it investigated social media pages selling tickets for private screenings of the movie, which also stars Deepika Padukone and John Abraham.

According to Dawn, a company named “Firework Events” was organising the screening of ‘Pathaan’ at different locations in Pakistan. Earlier, an advertisement was posted on a few prominent Facebook pages asking for PKR 900 for a ticket to watch the film, which received humongous response in India and overseas after its release on January 25.

The board asked the company to immediately cancel all its shows as per the rules as well as other regulations and penalties, such as up to three years in prison and fines of up to PKR 100,000. Fireworks Events has cancelled all of its private screenings of ‘Pathaan’.

The film quality was “not HD, but really good and clear,” Dawn reported, adding that “it is a projector screen”.

Indian films banned in Pakistan

Back in February 2019, the association of film exhibitors in Pakistan had decided to not release any Indian films in the country, amid tensions between both the nations.

In the last four years, no Indian film has officially been released in Pakistan, according to reports.

‘Pathaan’ nears Rs 700 crore mark

‘Pathaan’, which has been highly praised by the critics, is close to breaching Rs 700 crore gross worldwide in nine days.

According to Yash Raj Films (YRF), ‘Pathaan’ has recorded Rs 259.6 crore in overseas territories alone, while gross collection in India stands at Rs 436 crore.

The film, which also features Dimple Kapadia and Ashutosh Rana in supporting roles, follows Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan, an Indian intelligence agent, who resurfaces to thwart a terror attack planned by mercenary group Outfit X, led by Jim (John) on the Indian capital.

‘Pathaan’ is Shah Rukh’s first big screen release as a lead in over four years after “Zero” (2018). It is the fourth movie in producer Aditya Chopra’s spy universe, following Salman Khan’s ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ and ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’, and ‘War’, featuring Hrithik Roshan.

(With inputs from PTI)

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