Bollywood enthusiasts in Pakistan will not be able to catch Sidharth Malhotra and Manoj Bajpayee starrer Aiyaary in their local theaters anytime soon, as Pakistan's censor board has decided to ban the film in the country.
According to reports, the film was screened for the Pakistani censors a few days back, but it wasn't cleared, probably due to the fact that it glorifies the Indian army. Interestingly, Aiyaary director Neeraj Pandey’s earlier films like Baby and Naam Shabana were also banned in the country.
The news of Aiyaary being banned comes just days after Akshay Kumar‘s PadMan, which released last week, was also banned. The film deals with menstruation, a subject that's considered taboo in Pakistan.
Reacting to Pakistan’s ban, the film’s producer Twinkle Khanna said it’s important the film is shown in the country as women in Pakistan also menstruate.
“I think women menstruate no matter where you put a boundary, a border. We menstruate this side. We menstruate that side, and it is important for them to see it (the film) as well. I wish that they’d change their mind and show the movie,” she said at an event.
Terming the banning of PadMan in Pakistan an “unfair” decision, the film’s director R Balki said the issue addressed in the movie was an important one. “You do something very unfair to women and humanity if you do such things. It is not only about this movie. It is the story of this man’s life, and what issue it is addressing,” the director said, adding that PadMan is a success in several other countries that were thought to be conservative.
“In countries we think are conservative, this film is doing so well. So, I don’t think it is just one or two odd places, actually just one odd place (to ban Padman). But I am sure there will be a lot of public pressure there too, to watch the film. As this is not just an Indian film. It is not political stuff. It is a simple film for humanity,” added Balki.
PadMan released on February 9 and it has already earned Rs 52.04 crore in the first five days.
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