Northeast Desk, 16th August: Cinema has made a triumphant return to Manipur after a hiatus of over two decades, as the Bollywood movie ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’ was screened at an open-air theater in Churachandpur. The screening was organized by the Hmar Students’ Association to defy the ban on Hindi movies imposed by the ‘Revolutionary People’s Front’, a political wing of the proscribed People’s Liberation Army, back in September 2000.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum’s spokesperson, Ginza Vualzong, highlighted the significance of the event. “Today’s move is to defy the anti-national policies of the Meitei groups and to show our love for India,” said Vualzong.
The last Hindi film to be publicly screened in Manipur was “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” in 1998, more than two decades after the country had imposed a ban on them. According to the press statement from the students’ association, “We will be declaring our ‘freedom’ from the anti-national terror groups who have announced a boycott of Independence Day.”