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List of films banned in Pakistan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pakistan started banning films in 1962, with restrictions tightened in 1979 when Muhammad Zia ul-Haq implemented an Islamization agenda and an even stricter censorship code.[1] A ban on Indian films and media (which had been in place since 1965 but was not always strictly enforced) was lifted in 2008, with the compromise that cinemas in Pakistan must equally share screening time between Indian and Pakistani films, but was later enforced again in late 2016.[2][3]

2006

[edit]
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2006 The Da Vinci Code United States Hollywood Banned due to protest by the Christian community in Pakistan.[4]

2010

[edit]
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2010 Lahore India Bollywood Banned as the censor board objected to some dialogues and scenes in the film.[5]
2010 Tere Bin Laden India Bollywood Banned for fear that the title could be misconstrued by Islamist extremists as a reason to attack.[6][7]

2011

[edit]
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2011 Slackistan United Kingdom Independent Director refused to make cuts requested by the Central Board of Film Censors.
2011 The Dirty Picture India Bollywood Banned by authorities.[8] However, it was later cleared for release only a week after the Indian premiere.[9]
2011 Delhi Belly India Bollywood Not allowed to be screened by the censor board.[10]

2012

[edit]
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2012 Ek Tha Tiger India Bollywood It was not released in Pakistan, due to concerns over the portrayal of Pakistan in the film.[11][12]
2012 Khiladi 786 India Bollywood Renamed as Khiladi for release[13] but promos and ads of the film were banned in Pakistan.[14]
2012 Agent Vinod India Bollywood For controversial references to the Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency.[15]

2013

[edit]
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2013 Bhaag Milkha Bhaag India Bollywood Banned because it depicts Pakistan Sports Authorities using unfair means. It depicts the country in a wrong way.[16]
2013 Raanjhanaa India Bollywood Banned because the film portrays an image of a Muslim girl (played by Sonam Kapoor) falling in love with a Hindu boy and having an affair with him.[17]
2013 G.I. Joe: Retaliation United States Hollywood Banned due to the film's depiction of Pakistan as an unstable state and the fictional portrayal of a "foreign invasion of Pakistan’s nuclear installations".[18]

2014

[edit]
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2014 Children of War India Bollywood Banned for its portrayal of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War contrary to Pakistan's view.[19]
2014 Haider India Bollywood Banned as it depicts the Kashmir insurgency, a sensitive issue in the country.[20]
2014 Noah United States Hollywood Banned due to the portrayal of Noah by an actor.[21]

2015

[edit]
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2015 Calendar Girls India Bollywood Banned by Pakistan due to objections to one of the dialogues in the film.[22][23]
2015 Phantom India Bollywood Demanded to be banned by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed's Jamaat-ud-Dawa Archived 2015-08-20 at the Wayback Machine.[24] Phantom is about 26/11 attacks based on the book Mumbai Avengers by Hussain Zaidi.[25] The Lahore High Court banned the movie on 20 August 2015[26] as the federal government wanted the petition by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed to be dismissed due to its uselessness and the government doesn't want to be involved unnecessarily because no one in Pakistan asked for NOC to screen the film.[27][28] LHC judge Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan asked the government what it could do to stop the movie CDs from being sold in the market after the ban.[29]
2015 Baby India Bollywood A Bollywood film based on Terrorism was banned in Pakistan.[30]
2015 Bangistan India Bollywood A film about two suicide bombers banned by Pakistan's Central Board of Film Censors.[31]

2016

[edit]
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2016 Dishoom India Bollywood Banned because the movie talks about an Indian cricketer getting kidnapped before an India and Pakistan match and that caused the country to think it is against Pakistan.[32]
2016 Udta Punjab India Bollywood Banned due to use of abusive language.[33]
2016 Shivaay India Bollywood Banned because of India-Pakistan border conflict.[34]
2016 Ae Dil Hai Mushkil India Bollywood Banned because of India-Pakistan border conflict.[35][36]
2016 Neerja India Bollywood Banned for allegedly showing the country in a bad light, a fact denied by Sonam Kapoor, who portrays slain flight attendant Neerja Bhanot in the film.[37]
2016 Ambarsariya India Pollywood Banned due to direct references to Indian intelligence agency RAW inside the movie.[38]

2017

[edit]
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2017 Viceroy's House United Kingdom British Banned for allegedly misrepresenting Mohammad Ali Jinnah (Founder Of Pakistan).
2017 Tubelight India Bollywood Banned to prevent hampering the release of local films[39]
2017 Tiger Zinda Hai India Bollywood The film was not given a No Objection Certificate by the Central Board of Film Censors in Pakistan, stating the reason as "The image of Pakistan and its law enforcement agencies" has been compromised.[40][41]
2017 Dangal India Bollywood Banned when actor-producer Aamir Khan refused the Pakistan Censor Board's demand to remove scenes with the Indian National Flag and Indian National Anthem.[42]
2017 Naam Shabana India Bollywood Banned because it portrays Pakistan in "bad taste".[43]
2017 Jolly LLB 2 India Bollywood Banned because the film makes references to the Kashmir issue.[44]
2017 Raees India Bollywood Banned due to its "objectionable" content, as "the content undermines Islam, and a specific religious sect, (It also) portrays some Muslims as criminals, wanted persons, and terrorists".[45]

2018

[edit]
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2018 Pad Man India Bollywood The Central Board of Film Censors, Pakistan, refused to give a No Objection Certificate to the film and said, "we cannot allow a film whose name, subject, and story are not acceptable yet in our society." They disallowed the Pakistani film distributors IMGC and HKC to purchase the film rights and stated that they were "ruining Islamic traditions, history, and culture."[46][47][48]
2018 Pari India Bollywood Promotes black magic.
2018 Raazi India Bollywood Showed an intelligence agent who spied on Pakistan for India.
2018 Gold India Bollywood For fears regarding the depiction of the 1947 partition.[49]
2018 Veere Di Wedding India Bollywood For depicting obscenity and vulgar dialogues by female characters.
2018 Mulk India Bollywood The movie shows an Indian Muslim family accused of treason and ties with the Pakistanis.[50]
2018 Aiyaary India Bollywood Banned for portraying Pakistan in a negative light.[51]
2018 Race 3 India Bollywood Ban imposed so that four big banner Pakistani films and other smaller regional language releases on Eid do good business without competition from Bollywood movies.[52]
2018 Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran India Bollywood Banned for references to Pakistan's nuclear tests and establishments.

2019-present

[edit]

Since February 2019, Pakistan has banned the screening of all Indian films amid border tensions between the countries.[53]

Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2022 I'll Meet You There United States Hollywood For "negatively depicting" Muslim and Pakistani culture.[54]
2022 The Lady of Heaven United Kingdom British For negatively depicting important Muslim figures and portraying historical inaccuracies.[55][56]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Pakistan restricts screening of films from India". LA Times. Archived from the original on 2018-10-01. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
  2. ^ Nyay Bhushan (11 December 2013). "Pakistani High Court Bans Screening of Indian Films, TV Shows". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  3. ^ "Pakistan petition seeking ban on Bollywood films withdrawn". Dnaindia.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  4. ^ "Pakistan bans Da Vinci Code film". Archived from the original on 2015-11-26. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  5. ^ "Bollywood's 'Lahore' banned in Pakistan". Archived from the original on 2015-11-26. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  6. ^ "'Tere Bin Laden,' Indian Film With Osama Lookalike, Banned In Pakistan". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  7. ^ "Pakistan bans India Osama Bin Laden comedy". BBC. Archived from the original on 2018-11-12. Retrieved 2018-06-21.
  8. ^ "THE DIRTY BALAN STARRER "THE DIRTY PICTURE" BANNED BY PAKISTAN!". playtv.com.pk. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  9. ^ "The Dirty Picture cleared for release in Pakistan – NDTV Movies". NDTVMovies.com. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
  10. ^ "'Delhi Belly' denied public exhibition license in Pakistan". The Express Tribune. 30 June 2011. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  11. ^ Zee News Bureau (17 August 2012). "No release for 'Ek Tha Tiger' in Pakistan". Zee News. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  12. ^ "Ek Tha Tiger". ban at the tribune.com.pk. 17 August 2012. Archived from the original on 2015-11-26. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  13. ^ "Khiladi 786 renamed Khiladi for release in Pakistan". Archived from the original on 2015-11-26. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  14. ^ "Akshay Kumar's Khiladi 786 promos banned by Pakistan Censor Board".[dead link]
  15. ^ "Agent Vinod banned from Pakistani cinemas". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  16. ^ "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag banned in Pakistan". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  17. ^ "Pakistan Film Censor Board has banned "Raanjhanaa"". The Times of India. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  18. ^ Kaifee, Sib (2013-04-01). "'GI JOE 2: Retaliation' banned in Pakistan for portraying country in negative light". Fox News. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
  19. ^ "'The Children of War is a film on East Pakistan's struggle for freedom". IBT. 22 December 2013.
  20. ^ "India's Haider might not see the light of day in Pakistan". Archived from the original on 2015-09-07. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  21. ^ "4. Noah". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  22. ^ banned, Bollywood ‘Calendar Girls’ (24 September 2015). "Bollywood 'Calendar Girls' banned in Pakistan". The News Tribe. Archived from the original on 29 October 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  23. ^ Dedhia, Sonil (24 September 2015). "Pakistan's Ministry of Culture refuses No Objection Certificate to Calendar Girls". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  24. ^ "Controversial: Government issued notice over screening of 'anti-Pakistan' film". The Express Tribune. 11 August 2015. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  25. ^ IANS (11 August 2015). "No surprise if 'Phantom' gets banned in Pakistan: Saif Ali Khan". english. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  26. ^ "'Anti-Pakistan movie': LHC bans screening of Indian film Phantom". The Express Tribune. 20 August 2015. Archived from the original on 20 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  27. ^ "Accepting Hafiz Saeed's plea, LHC bans Phantom in Pakistan". Daily Pakistan Global. 20 August 2015. Archived from the original on 27 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  28. ^ "LHC stops screening of Saif's 'Phantom' in Pakistan on Saeed's plea". STAFF REPORT. 20 August 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  29. ^ "Phantom banned in Pakistan: Hafiz Saeed wins yet again : Bollywood, News". India Today. 20 August 2015. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  30. ^ "Bollywood 'shocked' over Pakistan's ban on 'Baby'". Archived from the original on 2015-08-04. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  31. ^ Mahmood, Rafay (6 August 2015). "Bangistan gets a 'complete ban' by central censor board". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 10 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  32. ^ "Dishoom banned in Pakistan, Varun Dhawan upset with the decision". The Indian Express. 30 July 2016. Archived from the original on 30 July 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  33. ^ "Udta Punjab banned in Pakistan". The Nation (Pakistan). 20 June 2016. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  34. ^ "Udta Punjab banned in Pakistan". The Nation (Pakistan). 20 June 2016. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  35. ^ "Maalik". Banned at the Dunya News. 14 February 2008. Archived from the original on 6 June 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  36. ^ "Maalik". BBC News. 28 April 2016. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  37. ^ Desk, Entertainment (25 February 2016). "Sonam Kapoor simply can't get over 'Neerja' ban in Pakistan". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  38. ^ "Indian Punjabi film banned in Pakistan". The Express Tribune. 31 March 2016. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  39. ^ "Makers of Salman Khan's Tubelight release an official statement on its Pakistan ban". filmfare.com. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  40. ^ "Salman Khan's Tiger Zinda Hai not cleared for Pakistan screening by CBFC". DAWN Images. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  41. ^ "Has Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif's 'Tiger Zinda Hai' been banned in Pakistan?". The Express Tribune. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  42. ^ "Dangal: Pakistan wants Indian flag, National Anthem cut, Aamir Khan says no". 7 April 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-04-12. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
  43. ^ "Taapsee Pannu starrer 'Naam Shabana' banned across Pakistan". Archived from the original on April 2, 2017. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
  44. ^ "Akshay Kumar-starrer Jolly LLB 2 banned in Pakistan". 12 February 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-02-12. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
  45. ^ "Pakistan Bans Shah Rukh-starrer Raees for 'Undermining Islam'". News18.com. 7 February 2017. Archived from the original on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  46. ^ "Akshay Kumar's Padman won't release in Pakistan". Samaa TV. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  47. ^ Lodhi, Adnan (10 February 2018). "Shocking: 'PadMan' banned in Pakistan". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  48. ^ "Pakistani Women Are Sending Pads to the Censor Board". Mangobaaz. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  49. ^ Varma, Lipika (2018-08-16). "Akshay Kumar requests for Gold's release". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  50. ^ "Ban on Mulk in Pakistan ironic: Indian movies that dispel anti-Muslim stereotypes don't bode well with film censors across border". 6 August 2018.
  51. ^ "Pakistan does it again". Deccan Chronicle. 16 February 2018.
  52. ^ "Race 3 makes opening day box-office record in Pakistan post ban, beating Avengers: Infinity War". 25 June 2018.
  53. ^ Ghosh, Samrudhi (February 28, 2019). "Pakistan bans Indian films. But can they survive without 70 per cent revenue from Bollywood?". India Today. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  54. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (9 March 2022). "Pakistan Bans SXSW Title 'I'll Meet You There' for 'Negative Image of Muslims,' Director Speaks Out (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  55. ^ Khan, Shuiab (4 June 2022). "Silent protest held against 'provocative' film". Lancashire Telegraph.
  56. ^ Kasule, Melissa (14 June 2022). "Morocco joins territories to ban 'The Lady Of Heaven'". Screen Daily. Retrieved 7 July 2022.