From: The Telegraph, 3 March 2012
VHP halts Osama film shoot
VHP activists in Chandigarh halted the shooting of Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow’s film on Osama bin Laden on Friday because the crew used a placard that had the picture of a Pakistani flag.
The activists shouted slogans at the shooting spot and told the film team to take off the Urdu signboards they had put up in front of shops in Manimajra, Chandigarh. (Pictures on left)
Bigelow, who had arrived in Chandigarh last week, wrapped up the shooting for the day after the protest.
VHP leader Vijay Singh, who led the protest, said: “When the shooting began on Wednesday, we, like all others, thought some foreign actors were trying to make a film on Alladin or something like that. But overnight, the filmmakers put up posters and banners with Pakistani flags in many lanes and crossings. How can a Pakistani flag fly in Chandigarh?”
He added that the VHP “will be on the lookout for anything Pakistani that the filmmakers portray. We will not allow them to shoot any scene showing a Pakistan flag”.
“We have sent letters to the Prime Minister and the home minister asking how permission was granted to shoot a film with a Pakistani story… Chandigarh is not Pakistan. It is not acceptable,” Singh added.
A film crew member late in the evening said the team had no intention of hurting the sentiments of local people. “We have assured the concerned persons that we will not shoot anything that may hurt anyone,” he said, requesting anonymity.
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