Hyderabad: York Cinemas, a leading Indian movie distributor in Canada, has announced the cancellation of all screenings of Pawan Kalyan’s much-anticipated film They Call Him OG. The company cited risks to public safety arising from “various cultural and political forces” as the reason for its decision.
In a press statement released on X, York Cinemas said it had concerns about cultural and political elements linked to the film’s distribution in North America. “York Cinemas has become increasingly concerned that various cultural and political forces associated with the distribution of the film in North America could pose a potential risk to public safety and security”, the statement read.
The company also raised serious allegations against individuals connected with the North American distributor of the film, and claimed that attempts were made to artificially inflate box office sales figures for OG in order to boost the future market value of South Asian films.
“York Cinemas has previously faced requests by individuals affiliated with the distributor of OG in North America to artificially inflate sales numbers to increase the economic value of future OG South Asian films. This was apparently done in an effort by such individuals to gain greater control over the South Asian film industry in North America”, York Cinemas said.
They further alleged that the individuals are attempting to create a cultural divide in South Asian communities based on social standing and political affiliations, and said that they will not engage in unethical business practices. The distributor has declared that they will issue refunds to all patrons who purchased tickets to the movie in advance, and said “the safety of our patrons, employees and the public remains our top priority.”
