They may be gutsy enough to spoof Osama, but they’re not ready to take chances with Pakistan. With
Tere Bin Laden
slated to release this Friday, the filmmakers are playing it safe. Unsure about how Pakistani viewers will react to the word ‘Laden’ in the title, they’re releasing the film as
Tere Bin
in Pakistan.
Director Abhishek Sharma says that Pakistani singer Ali Zafar, who plays a journalist in the film, prompted the title change. “Ali advised us, and we respected his opinion. He knows the sensibilities of the people. The film is based in Karachi and you know how things in Pakistan are,” says Sharma.
He adds that they did not want to cause any problems for moviegoers by giving anyone a reason to cause trouble. “Trouble-makers will not even try to find out what the film is about; they will see
Bin Laden
and think
mazaak udaaya hoga
. We’d rather change the title.”