The Indian cinema industry is known for its wide range of diverse films and rest assured, it also has some of the biggest worldwide blockbusters.
Banned films aren’t a new concept and there have been a couple of Bollywood biggies that couldn’t appear on a few international screens.
Check out 8 Bollywood films banned abroad!
1. Bell Bottom
Akshay Kumar’s latest venture has been the talk of town for a long time now. Post Bell Bottom’s recent release, it was revealed that the film is going to be banned in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.
Sourced from a report, we found out that members of the film certification board in the mentioned countries apparently claim that the film ‘tampered with historical facts’. In the movie, which is based on true incidents, it is shown that the hijackers take the aircraft to Dubai from Lahore. As per the actual 1984 incident, it was the UAE Defence Minister, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who had personally handled the situation and the authorities were credited for nabbing the hijackers.
2. Padmaavat
Padmaavat isn’t new to controversies. The first one itself being stirred in India with complaints about the name of the film which was initially ‘Padmaavati‘. However, this film is banned in Malaysia by the country’s censor board as it touched upon the ‘sensitivities of Islam’. The chairman of the National Film Censorship Board (LPF) made headlines when he has said the lavishly-mounted film was not cleared as it might offend the Muslims in the country.
3. Neerja
This film is based on the life of the brave air hostess Neerja Bhanot. Sonam Kapoor essayed what is called one of her best performances in this. ‘Neerja’ is banned in Pakistan because it shows Pakistan in a bad light. The film revolves around the true-life events of the flight attendant who sacrificed her life to save the passengers taken hostage by terrorists.
4. The Dirty Picture
Vidya Balan‘s award-winning film ‘The Dirty Picture’, is loosely based on the life of the late actress Silk Smitha. Apparently, the film was banned in many countries, starting with Kuwait as the censor board found Vidya’s character ‘too bold’ and sensual for their audience.
5. Delhi Belly
Delhi Belly’s bold content and out of the box imagery was much appreciated by fans. However, the film was immediately banned in Nepal when the censor board stepped in and stopped the screenings. It was reported that the excessive swearing and few scenes considered ‘obscene‘ were to be blamed.
6. Oh My God
Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal‘s hilarious comedy ‘Oh My God’ was one of the biggest film releases in India with social satires pushing into religion. Despite all the praise, the film was banned in many middle-eastern countries and barred from screening as it would ‘hurt religious sentiments’.
7. Fiza
The Hrithik Roshan and Karisma Kapoor starrer courted controversy at the time of its release on home soil and abroad. In the film Hrithik plays the role of a middle-class Muslim man who joins the military. However, this did not work well with the Malaysian Government officials who banned the film and said in a statement, “A Muslim cannot be a terrorist.”
8. Bombay
Directory legend Mani Ratnam has created one of the best film in Bollywood with Bombay. The film that centred around the events that led to the Bombay riots of 1992-1993, saw a tough time during its release for the type of content in it. The film was banned by the Singapore government, citing the ‘religious tensions’.