Ban on Shamoon Abbasi’s ”Durj” citing controversial subject of cannibalism didn’t come of as a surprise since there was always a talk about whether the film on this dark subject will find a smooth sail to cinemas in Pakistan. However owing to the fact that the trailer of the film was cleared by the censor board earlier and film was also cleared for release by all the provincial censor boards except federal, raises a question of what lead the film to be banned eventually. Shamoon Abbasi recently spoke on the issue to an Entertainment portal saying
“It was evident that the film is about cannibalism since the trailer was released. The trailers were cleared from censor boards. How can they now object about the subject? Also, the film is not gory, vulgar or anti-state; that’s why we want a fair panel to review it”, adding, “They simply banned it in the federal region, the rest of Pakistan was cleared. [There’s no reason cited as to] why they want it down so badly,” .
However fans can still keep fingers crossed as in a recent Facebook post by Shamoon Abbasi, expressing how he was left heartbroken by the decision, revealed that they have requested another review from the panel and are ready to make cuts if cited necessary, hoping that the authorities will help with the process.
“Durj” for now is releasing in UK, USA, Canada, Norway and Denmark under the banner of Zashko Films, on 11th October 2019.
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