All Hindi films, including Adipurush, were banned in Nepal on Monday following a controversy over its dialogues, including the mention of Sita as "India's daughter". According to reports, the screening of the Om Raut-directed film has been halted nationwide, after it was banned in Kathmandu and Pokhara. Now, the makers of the film T-Series have issued a written apology addressing Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah.
The letter read, “At the outset, we would like to apologise if we have hurt the sentiments of the people of Nepal in any way. It was never intentional or deliberate to cause any disharmony for anyone. The dialogue spoken by Mr. Prabhas, portraying the character of Shri Raghav, "aaj mere liye mat ladna, us din ke liye ladna jab Bharat ki kisi beti par haath dalne se pehle durachari tumhara paurush yaad karke thraa uthega" has no reference to the birthplace of Sita Mata but refers to, in general, the dignity of all women particularly the women of "Bharat".
It further stated, “Having said that, as Indians, the respect of women all over the world is of utmost importance to us. We request you to view the film in its artistic form and support the intention of reaching out to a larger audience to create interest in our history."
Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah on Sunday said no Hindi film will be allowed to run in Kathmandu Metropolitan City until the dialogue "Janaki is a daughter of India" in Adipurush is removed not just in Nepal but also in India.
Sita also referred to as Janaki, is believed by many to have been born in Janakpur in southeast Nepal.
Produced by T-Series, Retrophiles, and UV Creations, the film stars Prabhas (Ram), Kriti Sanon (Sita), Saif Ali Khan as (Ravan), Sunny Singh as (Lakshman) and Devdutta Nage as (Hanuman).
