Salman Khan to visit Pakistan after ban on ‘Ek Tha Tiger’

MADIHA AZHAR

KARACHI: After the ban on Salman Khan’s highly-anticipated Bollywood blockbuster ‘Ek Tha Tiger’, Director Kabir Khan has announced a promotional visit to Pakistan.

The Government of Pakistan has banned the promos and screening of the film in the country, as it is believed to portray the ISI in a negative light. Both the actor and director are disappointed by the decision, and are said to be all set to fly to Pakistan and clarify any ‘misunderstandings’ about the project.

“It's disturbing for Ek Tha Tiger to be perceived as an anti-Pakistan film. But it isn't surprising. Look at the cheap jingoistic anti-Pakistan films that have released over the years. We can't really blame them if they perceive Ek Tha Tiger as one such film,” says Director Khan. “Neither Salman nor I have ever visited Pakistan, so why not? We are willing to do anything that's required to make Pakistanis believe that our project is not against them.”

The production is seeking to get an official censor certificate from local authorities by screening the film for them.

It seems the team behind Ek Tha Tiger are willing to do whatever’s necessary to secure the film releases in Pakistan.

Pakistan is a huge market for Bollywood films. Earlier this year Saif Ali Khan’s ‘Agent Vinod’ had also been banned by the Pakistan Censor Board, for portraying the ISI in a negative light. This caused Ali Khan’s production house Illuminati Films, huge financial losses as the Pakistani market is crucial for many Bollywood productions to turn a profit.