Over the years, cinema has helped countries bridge gaps and understand each other’s cultures. While India and Pakistan might be in conflict over many things, people from both nations love movies and dramas. Pakistani dramas have won a lot of love from Indian audiences and Bollywood movies are popular in Pakistan. People from both countries share a bond and a love for Shahrukh Khan and Fawad Khan. However, few Bollywood movies have been banned by the Pakistani government due to various cultural and other reasons. Scroll down to check out the list of Bollywood movies that have been banned by our neighboring country.
5 Bollywood Movies On ZEE5, Jio Cinema, Netflix And More That Were Banned In Pakistan
1. Padman – Netflix & ZEE5
The film starring Akshay Kumar caused a stir in India and abroad for its social issues. Padman is a brilliant film based on the book The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad. By realizing what women go through during their period, Laxmikant embarks on creating affordable sanitary napkins for rural women in India and raising awareness about it. The film was well received and applauded for its modest and strong storyline and was banned by the Federal Censor Board of Pakistan. “We cannot allow our film distributors to import films that go against our traditions and our culture,” Ishaq Ahmed, a member of the Federal Censor Board, said by PTI. The film also starred Radhika Apte and Sonam Kapoor in key roles.
2. Ek Tha Tiger – Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Google Play
What happens when two agents from different countries fall in love with each other? A RAW agent, Tiger, is sent to Dublin to keep tabs on an Indian scientist suspected of sharing nuclear secrets with the ISI. Soon, he falls in love with Zoya, his guardian. He doesn’t know she’s an ISI agent. Well, the movie certainly entertains people, but Pakistan just decided to ban the movie. Muhammed Ashraf Gondal, Vice Chairman of the Central Board of Film Censors, told The Express Tribune: “We have strict criteria that films that have anti-terrorism themes and are against national institutions or security agencies of Pakistan should ultimately be censored because they are against the national interest. “
3. Jolly LLB 2 – Disney+ Hotstar
A clumsy lawyer tricks a woman into starting his own law firm. However, when she commits suicide for failing to obtain justice for her husband, he decides to make things right by representing the most critical case of his life. Although the script may seem simple, the film was banned in Pakistan. “In the film, Akshay Kumar plays a lawyer who treats his profession casually until he comes across the case of an innocent man who is killed and declared a Kashmiri militant, while the real Kashmiri militant hides in the “Uttar Pradesh. Bringing up the issue was not well received by the Pakistan Censorship Board. They banned the film, as they intend to ban all Indian films that touch on the Kashmir issue,” says a DNA report.
4. Raanjhanaa – ZEE5, Eros Now & Jio Cinema
The film was banned in Pakistan because the Central Board of Film Censors said it presented the image of a Muslim girl in an inappropriate light. Raanjhana is the story of a guy named Kundan who discovers that his childhood sweetheart, Zoya, loves someone from his community and decides to let go of his feelings for her. However, when he senses that she is lying about her fiancé’s religion, he goes mad. IMGC Global Entertainment Managing Director Amjad Rasheed, the film’s importer, said: “CBFC’s letter indicates that the film paints an unfit image of a Muslim girl (played by Sonam Kapoor) falling in love with and having an affair with a Hindu,” according to PTI.
5. Naam Shabana – Netflix and ZEE5
With Taapsee Pannu, Akshay Kumar and Manoj Bajpayee in the lead, Naam Shabana was banned by Pakistani censors just a day before its release, expressing its objection to the terrorism-related scenes according to a PTI report. The story of the film tells the story of a feisty young woman who accepts the help of a spy agency to avenge the murder of her lover. In return, she must prove herself as one of their best recruits.
