Salman Khan's Da-Bangg Tour in Nepal called off over threats from CPN-Maoist

Kathmandu: Bollywood Superstar Salman Khan’s The Da-Bangg Tour to Nepal, which was scheduled to take place in Kathmandu on 10 March, has been called off citing threats from a section led by Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplav’, according to the organisers. [caption id=“attachment_4253177” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The Da-Bangg Tour. File image.[/caption] Other Bollywood stars such as Sonakshi Sinha, Kriti Sanon, Prabhudheva, Daisy Shah, Meet Bros and Maniesh Paul were scheduled to join Salman at Tundikhel, Kathmandu. The organisers Sohail Khan Entertainments and JA Events and the partner organiser from Nepal, ODC Entertainment on 19 January had jointly organised a press conference in Kathmandu to confirm Khan’s arrival. However, Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplav’ of the CPN-Maoist, a splinter of CPN (Maoist Centre) last week had demanded the cancellation of the show and called all the nationalist forces to unite and oppose the show, going so far as to say that it amounts to ’expansion of cultural intervention on Nepali soil’. Some top Nepalese artists and 110 other singers and dancers from Bollywood were also expected to be part of the show. An audience of 30,000 was expected to attend the show while the tickets were priced from Rs 3,000 to Rs 30,000. The cost of the show was reported to amount to Rs 50 million. The tour, which kicked off last year, has already entertained several cities around the world, including Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, London and Birmingham. The organisers in Kathmandu said: “The show is just postponed for further dates and going to reschedule it very soon.” The CPN-Maoist also attacked the sponsors of the show, most of them liquor brands. “In a way, the programme is also promoting liquor which is not acceptable to us. We are against all kinds of globalisation bids,” the statement said.