Shoaib Mansoor's Verna in trouble with censor board just before its release

ISLAMABAD - Starring Mahira Khan and Haroon Shahid as lead actors, Shoaib Mansoor's upcoming social drama film Verna is not sitting well with the censor board.

"The topic is rape, and the culprit is the governor’s son. The film doesn’t have to be banned, and can be tweaked and censored a bit to be deemed fit for release," said  general secretary Abdul Razzaq Khuhawar of Sindh Board of Film Censors (SBFC).

While sources suggest that the film has been banned by CBFC, the authorities are still saying "The film is yet to be viewed by the full board and see if there are any objections. Nothing has been decided and the film is not banned so far. We will view it and come to a final decision soon."

Shoaib Mansoor's team has released an official statement saying, "Filmmaker Shoaib Mansoor has gone into appeal with Censor Board today for urgent relief for his film Verna. The film will be hopefully reviewed by full board today and we are hoping that the full board will prevail."