Nepal Maoists pour water on Ram Gopal Varma's 'Aag'

Kathmandu, Sep 1 (IANS) "Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag", Bollywood director Ram Gopal Varma's much-talked about remake of the blockbuster Hindi film "Sholay", has come under fire from Maoists in Nepal, who say the film has obscene scenes that would pollute society.

The controversial remake, which was released in four cinemas in Kathmandu Valley Friday, has been especially taken to task for a sizzling dance number featuring Bollywood star Urmila Matondkar.

In her bid to outdo the "Mehbooba, mehbooba" number danced in the original film by Bollywood's former siren Helen, the scantily clad Urmila and her troupe go through a vigorous bump and grind routine in the best approved Bollywood tradition in "Aag".

The posters in Kathmandu's multiplexes advertising "Aag" show an image from the dance.

The number created a furore in Nepal's film censor board that was revamped last month to include a Maoist representative.

Chhintang, the Maoist man on the board who comes from the guerrillas' cultural brigade, objected to the "vulgar" gyrations and recommended that the film be screened either with cuts or with an 'A' certificate, that would keep away viewers under 18.

"We are now going to strictly censor scenes that promote obscenity," the Maoist censor reportedly told a Nepali tabloid. "No one can do whatever they want to now, as they could do in the past."

Another member of the censor board, producer Shyam Sapkota, also agreed with the Maoist member that the film had obscene scenes, the Naya Patrika daily said.

Despite the censorship, the valley's theatres however are yet to run the film under 'A' certificate to keep away minors.

One cinema said it had pasted a notice to that effect in the hall but it had been torn up. Others said they did not know about any censorship. The censors said they had "taken serious note" of the flouting of their instructions by the theatres.

The Maoist controversy may be just the thing Varma needs to perk up viewership of a remake that is bound to get unflattering comparisons with the original film.

On Saturday, the first review of "Aag" in Nepal panned it severely, saying "Varma proves one known fact - 'Sholay' cannot be remade."

"'Aag' is a disappointment," the Himalayan Times daily said. "It does not have the masala, action, hard-hitting acting, all-time favourite one-liners or the songs the original had."

Earlier this year, the Maoists' women wing waged war on Nepal's best known beauty contest, Miss Nepal sponsored by Dabur Nepal, on the ground that it promoted women as a commodity and made them show skin.

However, despite vigorous protests that were also taken up by some rights groups, the Maoist minister for information and culture did not order the state-run television station to stop broadcasting the pageant live.

This is probably the first time that a Hindi film has come under censors' scissors in Nepal for obscenity.

Other films banned or censored in the past were done so due to political reasons.

Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan's films were banned for some time after violence erupted in Nepal in 2000 over anti-Nepal statements wrongly attributed to him.

Last year, Manisha Koirala's films and posters were "banned" by the Maoists for supporting the controversial municipal election held by King Gyanendra that was boycotted by all major parties.

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