Viceroy’s House, Raees and more: Why Pakistan bans Indian films will crack you up

bollywood

Updated: Aug 22, 2017 14:51 IST

Huma Qureshi-starrer Partition: 1947 is the latest film to be banned in Pakistan, taking the number of the film that received this treatment to five. The film traces the trauma that people went through due to the partition of India and Pakistan. Featuring Hugh Bonneville, Gillian Anderson, Huma Qureshi and Manish Dayal, the movie released in India on August 18. Pakistani censor board has put a ban on the film claiming there is a “misrepresentation of Muhammed Ali Jinnah” in the movie.

Earlier, Aamir Khan’s Dangal was passed by Pakistani censor board but with two cuts - one in which the Indian flag is shown and another in which the Indian national anthem is played after Geeta Phogat (played by Fatima Sana Shaikh) wins the gold medal. Aamir Khan, the film’s lead actor and producer, refused to do so.

Here, we take a look at some of the movies and the weird reasons the authorities have cited for banning them:

Thou shalt not mention Kashmir

From Akshay Kumar’s Jolly LLB 2 (2017) to Shahid Kapoor-starrer Haider (2013), the mention of the Kashmir dispute in any film is a red herring for Pakistani censor board. This gets you an immediate red flag. Either the film dealing with the subject won’t realise at all or it will be cut to the point of being irrelevant.

Thou shalt not show Muslims playing a bad guy

Pakistan authorities could not bear to see Shah Rukh Khan portray a Muslim bootlegger (Raees, 2017) as drinking alcohol is not allowed in Islam. The censor board in Pakistan often finds faults with films that supposedly “portray Muslims in a bad light” and ban such films, labelling them as “anti-Muslim”.

Akshay Kumar’s Baby (2015) was one such victim and Pakistani censor board claimed the film showed that all terrorists are Muslims.

Thou shalt not show Hafiz Saeed in bad light

Saif Ali Khan-Katrina Kaif-starrer Phantom (2015) was banned in Pakistan after a plea filed in Pakistani court that the Kabir Khan film showed Hafiz Saeed in a bad light.

Thou shalt not take terror lightly

Tere Bin Laden (2010), which was a comical take on Osama Bin Laden, was banned in Pakistan as the censor board believed it might provoke a ‘terrorist attack.’

Thou shalt not mess with religion

Bejoy Nambiar’s David (2013) showed the Muharram procession in a song in “an inappropriate manner” and the Pakistani censor board decided to put a ban on the film.

Khiladi 786 (2012) was banned as the number 786 is considered sacred by the Muslims and it could potentially hurt religious sentiments. Therefore, Akshay Kumar movie didn’t get a Pakistan release.

Thou shalt NOT love the ‘enemy’

Pakistani censor board has banned films that show people belonging to different religions falling in love. Sonam Kapoor-Dhanush-starrer Raanjhana (2013) was banned in the country because it showed a Muslim girl falling in love with a Hindu boy.

Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger (2012) was another victim as Tiger (Salman) fought against the ISI and also fell in love with an ISI agent played by Katrina Kaif.

Lahore (2010) was a film about the two countries bonding via kick boxing that should have been celebrated. However, the Pakistan Censor Board banned the film claiming some dialogues were offensive.

Thou shalt not be bold

Vidya Balan’s The Dirty Picture (2011), which was based on Silk Smitha’s life, the south Indian actress known for her erotic roles, was considered too bold for the Pakistani audience.

Aamir Khan’s Delhi Belly (2011) was another film that was considered vulgar and hence banned by their board.

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