Monday,
August
13,
2007
The
Kaafila
cast
and
crew
had
been
awaiting
the
release
of
the
movie
in
neighbouring
Pakistan
with
much
eagerness.
But
the
censor
board
in
the
country
has
now
banned
the
film
labeling
it
"anti-Pakistan".
In
a
press
conference,
also
attended
by
producer
Tony,
director
Ammtoje
Mann,
lays
down
the
reasons
that
the
Pakistani
authorities
have
cited
for
the
move.
The
first
and
foremost
question
that
comes
to
mind
is
when
the
movie
was
to
be
banned,
why
were
the
trailers
allowed
to
be
screened
during
intervals
in
cinema
halls
across
Pakistan?
"The
trailers
made
us
feel
triumph;
the
Pakistani
media
gave
us
an
impression
that
the
audiences
there
were
watching
movies
just
to
catch
a
glimpse
of
Kaafila
during
the
breaks," Mann
said,
adding
that
his
team
was
expecting
a
response
similar
to
what
"Awaarapan"
had
received
in
Pakistan.
The
authorities
there
told
the
producer
and
director
that
the
movie
had
been
banned
because
it
shows
a
Pakistani
agent
involved
in
illegal
immigration
and
because
the
first
five
minutes
of
the
film
is
shot
in
India.
They
also
were
against
Deol's
fighting
in
the
movie.
The
Kaafila
team
simply
couldn't
digest
the
limp
excuses.
"The
reasons
given
to
us
made
no
sense
to
us.
The
real
reason
behind
the
ban
is
the
thriving
piracy
industry
in
Pakistan
which
would
have
borne
heavy
losses
had
Kaafila
clicked
with
the
masses.
Some
of
the
local
producers
were
apprehensive
as
their
businesses
would
get
affected,
which
had
happened
when
"Awaarapan" was
released
there,"
Mann
elaborated.
The
other
thing
that
the
film-makers
found
inappropriate
was
military
people
on
the
panel
of
the
censor
board.
Apparently,
the
country's
broadcast
minister
had
specially
called
in
from
Afghanistan
ordering
his
officials
to
ban
the
movie
as
it
was
"anti-Pakistani".
The
Kaafila
team
was
so
disgusted
with
the
state
of
affairs
there
that
they
didn't
even
want
to
waste
time
editing
the
scenes
that
the
Pakistani
censor
board
had
objected
to.
Mann
said:
"Though
everybody
in
Pakistan
welcomes
such
exchange
of
art,
there
is
a
group
of
people
who
don't
want
it
to
happen
as
their
work
would
suffer.
But
that
has
not
dragged
me
down.
I
will
make
such
movies
again
and
try
to
showcase
them
in
Pakistan
over
and
over
again."