Ek Tha Tiger to Naam Shabana: 16 Bollywood films banned in Pakistan

Pakistan has banned the Akshay Kumar- Tapsee Pannu starrer Naam Shabana due to terrorism related scenes in the movie. Pakistan Censor Board authorities said that the terrorism related scenes depicted in the movie were not appropriate for the Pakistani audience. But then again, by now it should not come as a surprise that Bollywood films showing Pakistan in poor light would be barred there.

Here are films that have been banned by our friendly neighbourhood country for various reasons:

Ek Tha Tiger (2012): The Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif starrer was about Tiger (Salman) fighting against the ISI and also falling in love with the enemy- reasons enough for Pakistan to push the ban button.

Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012): The movie with Shah Rukh Khan as a bomb disposal expert in Kashmir ran into trouble in Pakistan, but finally the movie managed to get a red carpet premiere in Karachi.

Chennai Express (2013): It wasn’t exactly banned in Pakistan, but the distributors of the country stopped it from being released on Eid because four important Pakistani films were to be released the same day.

Agent Vinod (2012)/ Baby (2015)/ Phantom (2015): Once again, we had a Bollywood actor (Saif Ali Khan) as an Indian intelligence operative and Pakistan and the ISI being shown in negative light. One of the main reasons why they banned the movie was because it showed high ranking Pakistani officials in support of the Taliban regime. Baby and Phantom were also banned for similar reasons.

The Dirty Picture (2011)/Delhi Belly (2011): The movie 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. Delhi Belly was another film that was considered vulgar and hence banned by their board.

Khiladi 786 (2012): The number 786 is considered sacred by the Muslims, as the Arabic letters of the Quran’s opening phrase ‘Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim’ (In the name of Allah, the most Merciful, the most Beneficient) add up to 786. Since this could potentially hurt religious sentiments, the Akshay Kumar movie didn’t get a Pakistan release.

Tere Bin Laden (2010): The movie which was a comical take on Osama Bin Laden did not pass the litmus test with the Censor Board since they thought it might provoke a ‘terrorist attack.’

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013): At first the film was banned since in it Milkha Singh (the Indian athlete on whom the film is based) is shown refusing to go to Pakistan since his family was killed there during the partition. Later on, however, it was cleared by the Censor Board.

David (2013): The Bejoy Nambiar film showed the Muharram procession in a song in an inappropriate manner, and hence earned the ire of their Censor Board.

Lahore (2010): A movie about the two countries bonding via kick boxing should have been celebrated- but instead the Pakistan Censor Board found some of the dialogues offensive and the film was banned.

Jolly LLB 2 (2017): The Akshay Kumar starrer earned the ire of the Pakistani authorities since it had discussions on the Kashmir issue.

Raees (2017): Shah Rukh Khan starrer Raees also got banned because it depicted a Muslim mobster as a bootlegger, and since having alcohol is not allowed in Islam, the film didn’t see the light of day in Pakistan.

Raanjhana (2013): It got banned because it showed a Muslim girl falling in love with a Hindu boy.