A Pakistani horror-comedy film starring Sami Khan and Mani got rejected right after its trailer launch by the Censor Board Committee. However, recently it has been approved and will be screened at our theatres on Eid-ul-Adha. What led to the U-turn?
Previously: The movie producers received a lot of backlash after releasing the trailer due to vulgarity and double-meaning jokes. The indecency and objectification are not capable of screening in Pakistani theatres, and CBFC Chairman refused its release under any circumstances.
Furthermore, netizens were too quick to find a striking similarity between Lafangay and an Indian Telugu film. Some even complained, “Copy of Indian Tamil movie! You cant even think of your own stories!!”
What did the team Lafangey has to say about it: The team of Lafangay came out in support of their movie and addressed that their film is a family-friendly movie and any jokes featured are neither anti-state nor anti-religious. Do you agree?
What happened then: After a full board committee, the movie has been approved by the Punjab and Sindh censor boards and will be screened in our cinemas alongside the much-awaited Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad and London Nahi Jaounga.
Also: The unpredictability and the reversal of decisions within few days raises questions about the professionalism of our censor boards. Is it a publicity stunt that helps draw the people’s attention or simply mismanagement?
Lastly: Nevertheless, such allegations raise questions about the creative content that Lollywood is bringing into their theatres. Lafangey is not the first film to receive allegations of plagiarized content; one of the blockbuster movies, Chupan Chuppai, starring Ahsan Khan and Neelam Munir, was also a complete rip-off of an Indian movie. Although our drama industry is thriving and finally bringing out original and unconventional stories to our small screens, is the Pakistan film industry still lacking good quality content?
Are you ready to watch Lafangey on the big screen this Eid-ul-Adha?
