ISLAMABAD, 28 March 2006 — Indian movie, Bride and Prejudice, has been cleared by the Pakistan Film Censor Board for screening in Pakistan. Aishwarya Rai is playing the lead role in the movie. Ziauddin, chairman of the censor board, told Arab News the movie was produced in the United Kingdom and it was imported by one of the exhibitors, Chaudhry Khaliq.
He said a ban on Indian movies is in place in Pakistan, but this particular movie was produced by a UK production company and was directed by Gurinder Chadha. The remaining cast in the movie includes both British and Indians and hence the government had no objection to its screening.
Ziauddin said the outgoing Minister of Culture Ajmal Khan, who retired as a senator and left the federal Cabinet, had placed this movie before the censor board for approval.
He said there is still a ban in place on movies produced in India even if Pakistani actors were cast in the movie. “We have no ban on British and Hollywood productions”, Ziauddin said.
To a question about the release of the movie the censor board chairman said it all depended on the exhibitor, who would decide when to release the movie.
