Actress and dancer Nora Fatehi was all set to perform in Dhaka soon. But her performance was ‘disallowed’ by the Bangladesh government. The reason is an unusual one. Bangladesh has recently adopted austerity measures and canceling Nora’s performance is part of an effort to ‘save dollars.’
Nora, known for her work in the Indian film industry, was not allowed “in view of the global situation and with the aim of maintaining the foreign exchange reserves,” a notification issued by Bangladesh’s Ministry of Cultural Affairs said on Monday. News agency Bloomberg reported that Nora will dance and present awards at a ceremony hosted by the Women’s Leadership Corporation.
The ministry cited the central bank’s restrictions on dollar payments amid a decline in foreign exchange reserves in the country. The country’s foreign exchange reserves slipped to $36.33 billion as of October 12 from $46.13 billion a year earlier.
According to reports, current reserves are enough to cover about four months of imports. As a result, the administration is not allowing many activities involving payments in foreign currency. Nora’s performance fell into that category.
Nora came from a Moroccan-Canadian family. With the Hindi film Roar: Tigers of the Sundarbans, she made his screen debut in 2014. The following year she shot to fame as a contestant on the popular reality show Bigg Boss 9. Since then she has competed in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.
Over the years, she has carved a niche for dance numbers in films referred to as item numbers. Her dance numbers have been part of hit films like Baahubali, Satyamev Jayate, and Temper as well as the Hindi release, Thank God which is going to be released soon.