GUWAHATI: A Hindi film would be screened in theatre in the Northeast state of Manipur on Tuesday (August 15) after a hiatus of 20 long years.
The Hindi film would be screened at the HSA campus, Rengkai in Manipur’s worst-affected Churachandpur district on Tuesday (August 15) evening.
The decision to screen a Hindi film in Manipur after a gap of 20 years was taken by the Hmar Students’ Association (HSA), an organisation of tribal students in Manipur.
Altogether, four Hindi film will be screened, including Uri: The Surgical Strike and Shahrukh Khan-starrer Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
The HAS, in a statement, stated that the organisation would publicly screen a Hindi film on Tuesday (August 15) in Manipur to mark the country’s 77th Independence Day celebrations.
“The Hmar Students’ Association Tuithaphai JHQ will publicly screen Hindi films to mark the country’s Independence Day. This is to show our defiance and opposition to terror groups and Manipur state government which have subjugated the tribals for decades,” the HSA statement stated.
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“Over 20 Hmar women, some minors, were raped by cadres of terror group United National Liberation Front/Kangleipak Communist Party in 2006 in order to teach the villagers ‘a lesson’ for supporting the Indian Army’s efforts in restoring law and order in Hmar Hills (now Pherzawl District). Now, in 2023, we are facing Manipur state-sponsored violence led by a chief minister who belongs to a dominant community. Join us in taking a pledge to continue our fight for freedom and justice. It may be mentioned that Hindi films have been banned in Manipur for over 20 years now,” the statement further stated.
“We will be declaring our ‘freedom’ from the anti-national terror groups who have announced a boycott of Independence Day,” the statement stated.
Amarjeet Singh, a local student of Churachandpur told Northeast Now, “I am very happy that a Hindi movie would be screened today. I have never had the privilege of watching a Hindi movie publicly. I have only been watching Hindi Blockbusters on my mobile phone. It will be the first time that I will get a chance to watch it on a bigger screen.”
Various militant outfits operating in Manipur have banned the screening of a Hindi movie in the state in an attempt to alienate people from mainland India.
The movie theatres in the state mostly screen English, Korean and Manipuri movies due to fear of the militant organisations’ threat.
The last Hindi film that was screened in Manipur’s capital Imphal was Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in 1998.
However, the Manipur government informed Northeast Now that “Hindi films are not banned in the state, they are not screened regularly in cinema theatres which is not under purview of the government”.
“Hindi films are still aired on various satellite and TV channels on a daily basis,” the Manipur government stated.
It added: “Besides, the Hindi movie Rocketry: The Nambi Effect was screened on 20th August, 2022 at the auditorium of Manipur State Film Development Society which was witnessed by chief minister N Biren Singh, his council of ministers, MLAs and many government officials.”