After the alien attack of 1996 in Independence Day, several countries get together to avoid a repeat by devising a defence program using recovered alien technology in the sequel, titled Independence Day: Resurgence. But the aliens, far more advanced this time, have attacked again. Rolland Emmerich who helmed the original film is back at the helm 20 years later. This time, London and Singapore have been reduced to rubble, the Petronas towers are destroyed and the Burj Khalifa has collapsed. Parisians are worried and a bedouin family in Marrakesh has gathered around a radio, listening intently to the arrival and departure of spaceships. However, Emmerich's plans to get Gateway of India burnt to the ground, or the Taj Mahal's minarets tumbling into the central dome have been hit for a six. “Well, Indians are too touchy. Keeping the sensitivities of all the religious groups and other activists in mind, the makers were asked to not shoot in India or portray any prominent monuments being damaged,“ reveals a source from the 20th Century Fox, the producers of the film. So while the next instalment delivers global catastrophe on an unprecedented scale, India won't figure in the film which is set to hit screens on June 24 worldwide.

When Mirror got in touch with a spokesperson of the company's Indian subsidiary, Fox Star Studios, they confirmed the news, pointing out that this was an internal decision that was agreed upon owing to several policy makers that reject such requests. “There was also a request to only represent India on one of the film's posters, by showing an attack on the Taj Mahal. But this too was rejected,“ the source added.

In the sequel, Liam Hemsworth takes over from Will Smith as the lead, as one of America's best fighter pilots.