Manipur: Vicky Kaushal's 'Uri' screened on Independence Day, first Bollywood movie to release in 23 years

The film 'Uri: The Surgical Strike', starring Vicky Kaushal, was released in Manipur on August 15, Independence Day. It is the first Hindi film to screen in Manipur in 23 years.

After over 20 years, cinema returned to strife-torn Manipur on Tuesday (August 15) by screening a Bollywood film about surgical strikes against Pakistan at a makeshift open-air theatre in Churachandpur. A massive crowd turned out to see Vicky Kaushal's "Uri: The Surgical Strike" at Rengkai (Lamka). The Hmar Students Association (HSA) organised the screening to protest the ban on Hindi films enforced in September 2000 by 'The Revolutionary People's Front,' a political arm of the banned People's Liberation Army, a Meitei terror organisation located in the valley.

"Today's move is to defy the anti-national policies of the Meitei groups and to show our love for India," said Ginza Vualzong, spokeswoman for the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum, in a brief statement.

The association bills itself as the Kuki tribes' voice. The national anthem was played at the open-air theatre, 63 kilometres from the capital city, before the film's screening.

Since May 3, Manipur has seen severe ethnic confrontations between the dominant Meitei and indigenous Kuki populations, with over 160 persons killed. The HSA stated on Monday that the screening aimed to demonstrate "our defiance and opposition to terror groups that have subjugated the tribals for decades."

"Join us in taking a pledge to continue our fight for freedom and justice," it said. According to the HSA, the last Hindi film shown publicly in Manipur was "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" in 1998.

According to officials, rebels burned 6,000 to 8,000 video and audio cassettes and compact CDs in Hindi acquired from state outlets within a week after the ban in 2000. Though the RPF did not explain the restriction in the northeastern state, cable operators stated the militant organisation was concerned about Bollywood's harmful influence on the state's language and culture.