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Pakistani blockbuster The Legend of Maula Jatt will only be released in the Indian state of Punjab, producer Nadeem Mandviwalla told India Today on Saturday.

According to the publication, Mandviwalla said, “The film can still do some exceptional business in India as till today it is not available on any OTT platform. Thus, it has a great chance to become a huge hit. It might take a little time as the film is releasing after two years and the excitement is no longer there as it was in 2022, during its original release. However, the word of mouth of the film is bound to create that excitement again.”

Mandviwalla told Images that “being a Punjabi film, that was the plan always to release it in Punjab sector only”. Bilal Lashari, the director of The Legend of Maula Jatt, in his announcement post on Instagram, wrote, “Now, I can’t wait for our Punjabi audience in India to experience the magic of this labour of love!”

Political opposition

Hardline nationalist party the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) reiterated that they would not allow The Legend of Maula Jatt to be released in the state of Maharashtra and said it should not be allowed to be released anywhere in India.

Party chief Raj Thackeray took to his official X (formerly Twitter) handle to state that the film would not release in Maharashtra and warned of action against cinema owners if they screened the movie.

“Pakistani actor Fawad Khan’s movie titled The Legend of Maula Jatt is going to be released in India soon. The MNS will not allow the movie to be released in Maharashtra under any circumstances. Why are films of Pakistani actors allowed to be released in India?” he wrote on X, according to India Today.

“And art has no borders, which is fine in other cases, but in the case of Pakistani actors, this will not work at all. Governments should not allow this film to be released in any state of the country, not just Maharashtra,” he added.

Warning of action against theatre owners if they went ahead with the film’s screening, Thackeray reminded everyone of “what MNS did when such incidents happened before” and urged cinema owners to not “fall into the predicament of screening films.”

The MNS leader said he did not want any conflicts in Maharashtra with Navratri festivities approaching.

President of the MNS cinema wing and producer Ameya Khopkar told Indian publication ANI that they “will not entertain any Pakistani film or actors in India” and urged people in other states to oppose the release.

“This movie will not be released. Not just this movie, we will not entertain any Pakistani film or actors in India. If this happens, there will be a strong agitation,” Khopkar said.

He added that he called people and parties from other states to oppose the release of The Legend of Maula Jatt, stating, “Our soldiers are dying at the borders and our cities are being attacked. Why do we need Pakistani actors here, don’t we have enough talent here?”

Khopkar also threatened cinema owners with potential consequences. “The owners of cinemas know very well that the glass in their theatres is very expensive. We will beat any Pakistan actor who dares to come to India.”

Khopkar said he understood art and politics were different but did not want art at the cost of Indian soldiers.

The Indian party has a history of opposing Pakistani cinema and actors. Last week, Khopkar said his party would not allow the release of Pakistani films and would not allow Pakistani artists to work on Indian projects.

In 2022, when the movie was originally scheduled to be released in India, Khopkar took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “There are plans to release Pakistani actor Fawad Khan’s Pakistani film The Legend of Maula Jatt in India. It is most infuriating that an Indian company is leading this plan.”

In a follow-up tweet, the producer-politician — who has made films like Lai Bhaari, Ye Re Ye Re Paisa and Bhonga — called Fawad’s Indian fans “traitors” and suggested they go to Pakistan to watch the film.

The Legend of Maula Jatt is not the only film that Khopkar and MNS have had issues with. The producer previously spoke against the release of Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil starring Fawad, Anushka Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor and some party leaders opposed the release of Mahira Khan’s Raees alongside Shah Rukh Khan. MNS had also called for a ban on Pakistani artists working in India.

At the time of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’s release six years ago, Khopkar told India Today, “Nation comes first. We don’t care about losses faced by producers. There will be trouble in theatres if Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is released. Yes, we are threatening.”