Pakistani cine lovers may not get to see Bollywood blockbuster Dangal after all, Aamir Khan rejects Pakistani Censor Boards demands.
It seems Aamir Khan’s Dangal will not be released in Pakistan. Pakistan’s censor board wanted a couple of scenes chopped from the movie – the one showing Indian flag and the other where the National Anthem is played.
Aamir Khan, taken aback by the demand, decided not to release it in Pakistan.
“It’s a sports-based biopic with no direct or indirect reference to Pakistan. The film only highlights India’s nationalistic sentiment, so what is the reason to chop off those scenes?” reports an insider.
The decision is likely to cause a loss of Rs. 10-12 crore to the filmmakers. However, Aamir is firm and wants to retain those scenes.
Maharashtra Government passed a resolution congratulating Aamir Khan for taking the stand (not releasing Dangal without the national anthem scene).
Pakistan bans Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Raees’
Shahrukh Khan’s ‘Raees’ was banned in Pakistan, because of its “inappropriate depiction of Muslims,” according to Pakistan’s Central Censor Board. The board said the movie “did not show the real face of Islam” and focused on a “sect of Muslims as bad.”
Bollywood star, Shah Rukh Khan is himself a Muslim and has millions of fans all around the world.
The decision has caught cinema-goers as well as the filmmakers by surprise. Even the film’s director, Rahul Dholakia is disappointed and expressed “outrage” over the ban.
@Imshahrukhanwar @rahuldholakia this film don't have anything to get banned they represented Muslim very well 😢
— ĞÅűŘÄV (@GauravSrkians) February 6, 2017
“Pakistan is known for being sensitive and blowing things out of proportion. This is based on a true story so you can’t change the facts to suit a particular nation. They get maximum mileage out of Bollywood. Politics is about making noise,” film trade analyst Komal Nahta
Bollywood Movies Banned in Pakistan
“Agent Vinod,” a spy thriller that depicted Pakistanis helping the Taliban in Afghanistan and even concocting a plot to detonate a nuclear bomb in Delhi, was banned by Pakistani authorities. “‘Agent Vinod’ is for Indians, but it is not against Pakistanis,” the film’s lead actor and co-producer, Saif Ali Khan, said at the time. “But I understand if they [Pakistan] get upset because we are beating them up quite often in the film.”
Also Read: Bollywood films shot in Pakistan.
Bollywood Business in Pakistan
Pakistanis have an insatiable appetite for Bollywood films, especially those romantic musicals with happy endings. Indian movies are extremely popular with Pakistanis, and despite the ban, many are able to see the latest releases of their favorite Bollywood stars.
Still, the legality of publicly showing Indian films in Pakistan remains cloudy. And because the ban on Indian films in Pakistan remains ambiguous, piracy of Bollywood videos continues, given the huge demand in the country. Bollywood, on the other hand, would love to show more movies in Pakistan, a country with a large population that understands hindi and already loves watching hindi films.
Of course, piracy doesn’t help business, so its up to the authorities to figure out a better solution where the audience can see their favorite stars in action on the big screen.
