Dangal producer and lead actor Aamir Khan has refused to accept demands made by the Pakistan’s censor board to remove two scenes from the film before its Pakistan release. 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.
Dangal is Bollywood’s biggest blockbuster for the year 2016, with over Rs 385 crore raked in at the Indian box-office alone. Aamir Khan’s spokesperson has confirmed the refusal with the Hindustan Times. “It’s a sports-based biopic with no direct or indirect reference to Pakistan. The film only highlights India’s nationalistic sentiment, so what is the reason to chop off those scenes?” said the spokesperson.
Earlier this year, the ban on Indian films being released in Pakistan was lifted. However, Hindi films have found it difficult to release 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.
Thus far, with Aamir refusing to budge, the film’s release continues to remain uncertain in the neighbouring country.