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http://www.samaa.tv/entertainment/2...s-ban-top-actor-over-hindi-film-protestsDHAKA: Bangladesh cinemas will
boycott movies starring the
nation's top actor after he led
protests against the first
screening of a Hindi film in
decades in the Muslim-majority
nation, an official said Thursday.
Bollywood blockbuster "Wanted"
opened in cinemas on the
weekend after Bangladesh's
censor board cleared its
nationwide release, following a
50-year ban on Hindi-language
films.
But the screenings sparked
protests outside cinemas along
with wildcat strikes by hundreds
of Dhaka actors, directors and
others, who said the release
would cripple the local film
industry, known as Dhallywood.
Bangladesh heartthrob Shakib
Khan led the marches on
cinemas, where protesters
ripped up Hindi film posters and
pleaded with fans queueing at
ticket booths to boycott the film.
"We'll stop Hindi films at any
cost," Khan was quoted as saying
by a local daily newspaper
Thursday.
Bangladesh cinema owners
reacted sharply, saying they
would show not any movies
starring Khan and the other
protesters and defending their
decision to screen highly-popular
flicks from neighbouring India
on financial grounds.
"We've released Hindi films
because we're now facing (an)
existential crisis," said Saiful
Islam Chowdhury, president of
the Bangladesh Motion Pictures
Exhibitors Association.
"It's unfortunate that Shakib
Khan, Misha Shawdagar and
other actors and directors have
used violence to try to prevent us
from showing Hindi films."
Chowdhury said the country's
350 film theatres "have decided
not to show any films by Shakib
Khan" along with Shawdagar and
several directors.
A court last year ruled "Wanted"
could be shown in Bangladesh,
despite a prohibition on Hindi
films dating back to a brief war
between India and Pakistan in
1965 when Bangladesh was part
of East Pakistan.
The censor board gave "Wanted"
the final go ahead in November
for screening this year.
Although pirated CDs of Indian
films are hugely popular in
Bangladesh, the ban on Hindi
movies continued after the
country gained independence in
1971.
The government briefly lifted the
ban in 2010 after caving into
pressure from struggling
cinemas, hundreds of which
have shut down in recent years
because of poor ticket sales.
But it was quickly re-imposed
following furious protests by
local actors and directors, who
claimed the Bangladesh film
industry was at risk from the
imports.
Chowdhury said the government
had recently lifted the ban again
under a free trade deal between
South Asian countries.
Given the censor board's
clearance of "Wanted", he
predicted that importers would
be more emboldened to start
bringing in more Hindi films.
Khan said Thursday the ban
should remain to protect local
movie industry, which produces
around 60 films a year. (AFP)