Exclusive: Begum Jaan may not release in Pakistan for political reasons

Vidya Balan’s much-awaited next, Begum Jaan, was recently in the news for its upcoming release in Pakistan. However, the movie that’s set against the backdrop of the partition may not end up finding a release in the neighbouring country for political reasons.

Vishesh Bhatt, son of Mukesh Bhatt, and the producer of the movie says, “Pakistan is in a kind of a limbo kind of a state in general, because of various reasons. We’re in talks, but as of now there’s no confirmation from there, thanks to the political situation.”

He added that the movie has a wide, all-encompassing reach. “Begum Jaan is a film that belongs to the subcontinent. It’s based on the pre-independence concept, so in that sense, it belongs to the audiences in both the countries. Our idea is to reach the maximum number of people, but we’re evaluating it in terms of the political situation,” he said. The movie is a Hindi adaptation of critically-acclaimed Bengali movie, Rajkahini, and sees Vidya play a brothel owner.