Search the Internet            Tips

Nepal bans Hrithik films, seeks apology

Our Correspondent in New Delhi

The Nepal government has asked Bollywood heartthrob Hrithik Roshan to apologise for his reported remarks about Nepal and its citizens.

The Hindu kingdom's demand for a public apology from the actor came a day after the government banned all Hrithik films in Nepal.

Violent student protests against Hrithik in Nepal over last two days have resulted in the death of two youngsters in police firing.

Nepal's Information Minister Jay Prakash Gupta told an Indian newspaper on Tuesday that Hrithik should offer a public apology. "We demand an apology from him," he said.

The Nepal government has banned his films because "he has hurt the sentiments of the Nepalese people," Gupta said.

Officials at the Nepal embassy in New Delhi, however, said there has been no official communication demanding an apology from the film star.

"As of now, we have not sent across any official demand, nor have we approached the Indian government," an official at the embassy said.

Hrithik reportedly told an Indian channel that Nepal and its people are "the place and people" he dislikes the most.

The superstar Tuesday said that he never made such a remark.

"I have never given a TV interview to any channel stating that I dislike Nepal and its people. It is a figment of imagination of some vested interests. It is really astonishing how some people can stoop so low in an effort to tarnish my image," he said.

However, Indian authorities in Delhi and Kathmandu are worried as Indian films and channels are very popular in Nepal, which has a tiny film industry and no satellite channels.

Indian films are a major hit in the country, while most popular channels in Nepal are all Indian. Since Tuesday, cable operators have blocked off Indian channels.

Incidentally, the anti-India violent protests in Nepal come exactly a year after a similar sentiment swept across the country in the wake of the Indian authorities accusing a Nepali trader of being a hijacker of IC 814.

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report