A BOLLYWOOD film starring heart-throb Shahid Kapur as a fighter pilot has been postponed by a week following objections by the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Mausam, starring Shahid and Sonam Kapoor, was to be released tomorrow, but will now open on September 23.
“The film has been postponed for two reasons; we received only a conditional no-objection certificate from the IAF and the Censor Board had given U-certificate but they wanted to review the movie a second time,” said Pankaj Kapur, Shahid’s father and the director of Mausam.
“It was the question of security, which was very important. We could not refuse as it was a matter of national security,” Pankaj Kapur said in Mumbai.
The IAF had raised objection to an action scene in the film and had held back the no-objection certificate until the changes were made.
Mausam is actor Pankaj Kapur’s eagerly awaited directorial debut. It was pulled from the Toronto film festival line-up on Tuesday (September 13), one day before it was to premiere.
Organizers said they were informed by the studio that the film had not received regulatory approvals in India in time to screen the film this week in Toronto.
“We ran into a delay getting approvals from the Indian Air Force and the Board of Film Certification in India,” producer Sheetal Talwar said.
Lead actor Shahid was unfazed by the delay, saying he was happy that he an additional week to promote the film.
“I am anxious and excited but not frustrated.
“We have got one more week to promote the movie abroad. We are looking at having a premiere in London three days before its general release as well as one in Mumbai a day before it opens,” he said.
