nder The Radar is a special series and newsletter offering from Diplomatic Courier bringing you compelling, under–the–radar stories from around the world over the past month. This month across Asia: further delay of a Pakistani blockbuster’s release in India reflects rising tensions, South Korea’s first female winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, and Mount Everest’s growth spurt. You can sign up to receive the newsletter here.
India prevents Pakistan's blockbuster
The Pakistani blockbuster film ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ was set to be the first Pakistani film shown in India, the first in over a decade, with the last being the 2011 film Bol. The film—set to debut two years after its release, in October 2024—has now had its release stalled indefinitely.
India and Pakistan have a long (and troubled), shared cinematic history. Before 2006, piracy of Bollywood movies was rampant in Pakistan, causing Pakistan to remove its ban on Bollywood films to the benefit of both countries. However, due to continued military conflict, the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association placed a temporary ban on Pakistani workers in India in 2016. Pakistan then banned the release of Indian films in the country in 2019—though the ban was lifted after a few months. A 2023 Supreme Court ruling in India indicated tensions between the two countries might be thawing as they dismissed a petition to ban Pakistani performers in India. The global success of The Legend of Maula Jatt also gave its creators hope that it would be successfully released in India.
However, the planned release of the blockbuster met backlash from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena political party located in a region of Mumbai—home of Bollywood—who declared they would not allow the film’s release. The film’s again indefinitely delayed release shows just how tense relations between the two nations still are.
South Korean feminist author wins Nobel Prize amid growing anti–feminism
South Korean author Han Kang won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature “for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.” The first South Korean person and Asian woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, Han’s works are acclaimed for her potent depictions of trauma, oppression, and resistance to the patriarchy. Yet even as South Korea celebrates the award, anti–feminist sentiment continues to rise.
A 2021 survey found that “79% of South Korean men in their 20s believe they are the victims of reverse discrimination,” and this sentiment seems to be gaining traction, given the political leanings of South Korean men. Many South Korean men also blame the country’s incredibly low birth rate on the rise of feminism among South Korean women.
However, in an interview, Han Kang mentioned writers' odd place in South Korean society. The Nobel laureate acknowledged the “curious phenomenon” of having more female authors than male writers in South Korea, with readers and critics generally disregarding the author’s gender despite being such a conservative society. This “phenomenon” may eventually expand to other aspects of South Korean society as South Korean women continue to achieve success in the workplace—even as South Korea still has the worst gender pay gap among OECD countries.
Mount Everest is having a growth spurt
Mount Everest is growing. Actually, Mount Everest has been increasing in height steadily for around the last 50 million years, but researchers have recently noted that the tallest mountain in the world is having an unexpected growth spurt.
Mount Everest's peak is continually pushed upward as the tectonic plate under India collides with the rest of Asia. While this growth—approximately four millimeters a year—is gradual and predictable, a newly released study found the mountain is growing much more rapidly in geologically “recent” times. Modeling suggests Mount Everest has grown by between 15 and 50 meters in height more than historically expected, over the past 89,000 years.
Using computer models to track the river evolution in the Himalayas, scientists discovered the Arun River—North of Mount Everest—became a part of the Koshi River system—the largest river basin in Nepal—thanks to erosion. This process, known as river capture, has increased erosion near Mount Everest. The river’s erosion would have increased the Arun River gorge's depth, increasing Mount Everest's height due to isostatic rebound.
Scientists expect this growth spurt to be temporary, with a yearly increase of about 0.16mm–0.53mm height until the river reaches isostatic equilibrium. Still, the scientists acknowledge that other factors—including climate change—may also factor into Mount Everest's unexpected growth. Other scientists agree that the theory is plausible but argue that more research is needed.
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Bollywood’s doors remain closed to Pakistani blockbuster
Courtesy / Publicity poster for ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’
October 31, 2024
Diplomatic Courier staff writer Stephanie Gull brings you three under–the-radar stories from Asia in October: a Pakistani blockbuster’s delayed release, a significant Nobel Prize in South Korea, and Mount Everest’s growth spurt.
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nder The Radar is a special series and newsletter offering from Diplomatic Courier bringing you compelling, under–the–radar stories from around the world over the past month. This month across Asia: further delay of a Pakistani blockbuster’s release in India reflects rising tensions, South Korea’s first female winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, and Mount Everest’s growth spurt. You can sign up to receive the newsletter here.
India prevents Pakistan's blockbuster
The Pakistani blockbuster film ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ was set to be the first Pakistani film shown in India, the first in over a decade, with the last being the 2011 film Bol. The film—set to debut two years after its release, in October 2024—has now had its release stalled indefinitely.
India and Pakistan have a long (and troubled), shared cinematic history. Before 2006, piracy of Bollywood movies was rampant in Pakistan, causing Pakistan to remove its ban on Bollywood films to the benefit of both countries. However, due to continued military conflict, the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association placed a temporary ban on Pakistani workers in India in 2016. Pakistan then banned the release of Indian films in the country in 2019—though the ban was lifted after a few months. A 2023 Supreme Court ruling in India indicated tensions between the two countries might be thawing as they dismissed a petition to ban Pakistani performers in India. The global success of The Legend of Maula Jatt also gave its creators hope that it would be successfully released in India.
However, the planned release of the blockbuster met backlash from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena political party located in a region of Mumbai—home of Bollywood—who declared they would not allow the film’s release. The film’s again indefinitely delayed release shows just how tense relations between the two nations still are.
South Korean feminist author wins Nobel Prize amid growing anti–feminism
South Korean author Han Kang won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature “for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.” The first South Korean person and Asian woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, Han’s works are acclaimed for her potent depictions of trauma, oppression, and resistance to the patriarchy. Yet even as South Korea celebrates the award, anti–feminist sentiment continues to rise.
A 2021 survey found that “79% of South Korean men in their 20s believe they are the victims of reverse discrimination,” and this sentiment seems to be gaining traction, given the political leanings of South Korean men. Many South Korean men also blame the country’s incredibly low birth rate on the rise of feminism among South Korean women.
However, in an interview, Han Kang mentioned writers' odd place in South Korean society. The Nobel laureate acknowledged the “curious phenomenon” of having more female authors than male writers in South Korea, with readers and critics generally disregarding the author’s gender despite being such a conservative society. This “phenomenon” may eventually expand to other aspects of South Korean society as South Korean women continue to achieve success in the workplace—even as South Korea still has the worst gender pay gap among OECD countries.
Mount Everest is having a growth spurt
Mount Everest is growing. Actually, Mount Everest has been increasing in height steadily for around the last 50 million years, but researchers have recently noted that the tallest mountain in the world is having an unexpected growth spurt.
Mount Everest's peak is continually pushed upward as the tectonic plate under India collides with the rest of Asia. While this growth—approximately four millimeters a year—is gradual and predictable, a newly released study found the mountain is growing much more rapidly in geologically “recent” times. Modeling suggests Mount Everest has grown by between 15 and 50 meters in height more than historically expected, over the past 89,000 years.
Using computer models to track the river evolution in the Himalayas, scientists discovered the Arun River—North of Mount Everest—became a part of the Koshi River system—the largest river basin in Nepal—thanks to erosion. This process, known as river capture, has increased erosion near Mount Everest. The river’s erosion would have increased the Arun River gorge's depth, increasing Mount Everest's height due to isostatic rebound.
Scientists expect this growth spurt to be temporary, with a yearly increase of about 0.16mm–0.53mm height until the river reaches isostatic equilibrium. Still, the scientists acknowledge that other factors—including climate change—may also factor into Mount Everest's unexpected growth. Other scientists agree that the theory is plausible but argue that more research is needed.
