‘Panch Pandav’, a Nepali film directed by Basanta Niraula, will be released on its scheduled date on Friday despite growing controversy and calls for a boycott over alleged religious insults.

A meeting held at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology on Thursday morning, attended by the film’s production team and representatives of relevant government agencies, concluded that the film should not be stopped from screening, said Manoj Pandit, an expert member of Nepal’s Central Board of Film Censor.

“Officials of the film censor board, concerned filmmakers, and representatives from the Home Ministry and Communications Ministry were present at the meeting,” Pandit told Kantipur. “The film censor board is a responsible institution, and its decisions and credibility must always be upheld. It was also concluded that filmmakers should be guaranteed the right to screen their films and receive security in the future.”

Pandit said the production team was also informed that Communications Minister Bikram Timilsina had no intention of stopping the film and that it should not be prevented from screening.

“The minister also expressed that creators’ work should be respected and their right to exhibit it protected,” said Bishnu Prasad Koirala, chairperson of the Central Board of Film Censor, quoting the minister’s message at the meeting.

The meeting followed concerns raised by the film’s production team over threats to vandalise a cinema hall in Nepalgunj if the film is released. A member of the production team said they had received information that some people had threatened to damage the hall. After the matter reached the home secretary, he contacted the Communications Ministry to express concern.

The controversy surrounding Panch Pandav has been building on social media ahead of its release. Tthe film drew criticism after its poster and trailer prompted speculation that its story was based on characters from the Hindu epic ‘Mahabharata’.

The debate intensified after the production team released the song ‘Raja Chahiya Chha’, featuring an item dance by actor Eva Giri. Some religious activists and social media users accused the filmmakers of portraying Draupadi, a revered character in the epic, in a degrading manner and insulting Sanatan Hindu beliefs.

The criticism centred on the apparent association of a character addressed as Draupadi in the trailer with a bar dancer in the song. Some campaigners called for a boycott, while others used abusive and threatening language against the film’s director and actors.

Religious campaigners Vedika KC and Pushkar Khatiwada were among those who urged people not to watch the film. KC said her objection was not to dancing as a profession but to what she considered an inappropriate portrayal of a female character initially presented in saffron clothing and later shown as a bar dancer.

Director Niraula, however, has said that people were drawing conclusions without watching the film. He maintained that the character shown in the film was not necessarily Draupadi from the ‘Mahabharata’ and that the assumption that the film retells the epic was misleading.

The production team has also clarified that the film’s storyline is not related to the ‘Mahabharata’. It had earlier clarified that actor Jitu Nepal's character, Bhimsen, was not the Bhim of the epic.

Pandit had previously questioned the practice of launching boycott campaigns before films reach theatres, saying audiences should be allowed to watch films and decide for themselves whether they find anything objectionable.

The latest meeting has reaffirmed the position that a film that has received approval from the state censor board should be allowed to screen, and that filmmakers’ creative rights and security must be protected.