RAWALPINDI, Dec 3: In a move, likely to upset cinema goers, the censor board (CB) — for now — has stopped cinema houses from advertising Akshay Kumar’s latest Bollywood movie, Khiladi 786. CB considers the name of the movie controversial.

However, the jury is out and a final decision is still pending. But CB managed to force the advertisers and cinema houses to remove the billboards and not to release the trailers in the media or in intervals of other movies.

Khiladi 786, Akshay Kumar, makes a comeback, after the success of the last episode, Khiladi 420. The film was directed by Ashish R Mohan. The story of the film was written by Himesh Reshammiya and produced by Twinkle Khanna.

Finding the name Khiladi 786 objectionable, as 786, a number revered by Muslims, CB feared that it might hurt the sentiments of the majority.

However, CB Chairman, Dr Raja Mustafa Haider, did not disclose the final decision on the fate of the movie.

“We will decide it when the movie comes to us, before screening in the cinema houses,” he told Dawn and added that the board had imposed a ban on the advertisement of the film.

He said that the board had managed to convince the distributors to present the film without the number 786. The film was originally scheduled to be released for December 7.

“The appearance of banners for the film in Rawalpindi and other areas was brought in my notice and I asked City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) to remove all of them,” said chairman CB.

After receiving instructions from CB, District Coordination Officer (DCO), Saqib Zafar, assigned the task to the local police to remove all advertisement, with immediate effect.

“I have talked to the owners of cinema houses and they have assured me that they will not advertise,” the DCO told Dawn.

Local distributor, Suhail Mukhtar, said that CB had the legal right to alter the name, if it found it objectionable. However, he said that the screening of the film would not stop, unless it had objectionable dialogues and scenes.