‘Banned in Pakistan’ Javed Iqbal film to be premiered in UK film festival

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What happened: Pakistani film, ‘The Untold Story Of A Serial Killer,’ which was banned from screening in Pakistan two days before its theatrical release despite censor board approval, will be premiered at the 2022 UK Asian Film Festival on May 4 at London’s leading cinema, BFI Southbank.  Details: Yasir Hussain, who plays the role of ‘ Javed Iqbal,’ is ecstatic with the news, but frustrated by the lack of acclaim at home, “It gives me great pleasure that the UK Asian Film Festival is treating our film with such esteem, but it is regrettable that we are unable to recognise the importance of our own work and people,” Hussain captioned a screenshot of the premiere announcement. The film: The movie is based on the director, Abu Aleeha’s novel ‘Kukri’ and follows the investigation into Iqbal, a serial kille who murdered 100 young boys in Lahore in 1999 and provided evidence of his crimes to the authorities and the media. He was arrested and given the death penalty. He allegedly committed suicide in his prison cell just two years into his sentence.  The ban: Despite having received clearance from all censor boards, the film’s premiere was delayed by the Punjab government after it was postponed for several months. This sparked outrage among the film community and the actors involved, who expressed their dissatisfaction and demanded for the film to be released.

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