The latest Indian film to be banned in Pakistan after Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees is Neeraj Pandey’s Naam Shabana. According to a DNA India report, the espionage thriller is banned due to its content ‘that might reflect badly on Pakistan’.
Naam Shabana, a prequel to Baby, starring Taapsee Pannu and Akshay Kumar, is said to be based on the theme of international terrorism. While the film was released initially, it was stopped from playing in the theatres a day later after officials objected to the film’s contents.
Earlier this year, the ban on Indian films in Pakistan was lifted. However, Hindi films have found it difficult to sustain shows there, due to certain demands made by Pakistan’s censor board. The temporary ban came into effect last year after the Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ Association (IMPPA) banned Pakistani artistes and technicians from working in the Indian film industry, following the Uri (Jammu and Kashmir) attacks in September.
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The ban was lifted earlier this year and subsequently, Hrithik Roshan’s Kaabil and Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees were scheduled to release. However, the Pakistani censor board found Raees offensive and stalled its release as they believed Muslims were portrayed badly.
The most recent case involved Dangal producer and lead actor Aamir Khan, who wouldn’t accept demands made by the Pakistan’s censor board to remove two scenes from the film before its release in the country. In one scene, the National Anthem is sung while the other scene shows the Indian flag hoisted following Geeta Phogat’s victory.
Consequently, Dangal will not release in Pakistan.