Nepal capital bans Indian films amid row over Adipurush dialogues

The mayor of Nepal’s capital has banned the screening of hugely popular Indian films after a movie inspired by the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana sparked controversy.

The mayor of Nepal’s capital has banned the screening of hugely popular Indian films after a movie inspired by the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana sparked controversy.

Critics have taken issue with lines of dialogue in the film Adipurush, which was released globally in Hindi and four other Indian languages on Friday.

The inspiration for the movie, the Ramayana, centres on King Rama’s attempt to save his kidnapped wife Sita.

Sita was believed to have been born in Janakpur, a southern district of Nepal, but the film suggests she was born in India, triggering anger in Kathmandu.

Before the film’s release, Kathmandu’s Mayor Balendra Shah warned it would not be screened if that section remained, and censors cut the offending dialogue for Nepali audiences.

But since the film remained unchanged outside Nepal, Shah issued a wider ban in protest.