Nora Fatehi's performance in Dhaka cancelled by Bangladesh government 'to save dollars' as part of austerity measures

The Bangladesh government denied Bollywood actor-dancer Nora Fatehi permission to perform at an event in Dhaka in a bid to save dollars as part of the country's ongoing austerity measures.

Actor and dancer Nora Fatehi was all set to perform in Dhaka soon. But her performance was ‘disallowed’ by the Bangladesh government. The reason is an unusual one. Bangladesh has recently adopted austerity measures and the cancellation of Nora's performance is part of that effort to ‘save dollars’.

Nora Fatehi was to perform in Dhaka later this month.(Instagram)

Nora, known for her work in the Indian film industry, wasn’t granted permission “in view of the global situation and with the aim of maintaining the foreign exchange reserves,” according to a notice issued by Bangladesh’s Ministry of Cultural Affairs on Monday. News agency Bloomberg reported that Nora was scheduled to dance and hand out awards at an event organized by the Women Leadership Corporation.

The ministry referred to the central bank’s restrictions on dollar payments amid dwindling foreign exchange reserves in the country. The country's forex reserves have slipped to $36.33 billion as of October 12 from $46.13 billion a year earlier. As per reports, the current reserves are only enough to cover roughly four months of imports. As a result, the administration is disallowing many activities that involve payment in foreign currency. Nora's performance fell in that category.

Nora, who comes from a Moroccan-Canadian family, has worked in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam films. She made her on-screen debut in 2014 with the Hindi film Roar: Tigers of the Sundarbans. She gained fame the following year as a contestant on the popular reality show Bigg Boss 9. She has since also competed in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.

Over the years, she has carved a niche performing dance numbers in films--often referred to as item numbers. Her dance numbers have been part of hit films like Baahubali, Satyamev Jayate, and Temper, as well as the upcoming Hindi release, Thank God. She has also been seen in supporting roles in films like Bharat, Street Dancer 3D, and Bhuj: The Pride of India. She currently judges the reality show Dance Deewane.