Here's a look at some Bollywood movies that were banned in a few international countries for reasons that will shock you.
Akshay Kumar and Vaani Kapoor starrer 'BellBottom' has been receiving rave reviews ever since it hit the theatres on August 19. Directed by Ranjit Tewari, 'Bell Bottom' is a spy thriller set in the 1980s. The film is named after the code name of a RAW agent played by Kumar. Lara Dutta, incidentally, plays Indira Gandhi.
However, while the film was released worldwide, three gulf nations banned it citing alleged 'tampering with historical facts'.
While there's no denying that the overseas market contributes significantly to the success of a Bollywood film, in terms of the producers raking in a lot of moolah, it's not the first time a Hindi film was banned in some countries.
Here's a look at other movies that were banned in some international countries.
1. Akshay Kumar starrer 'Bellbottom'
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The film certification authorities in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar banned Akshat Kumar starrer 'Bellbottom' for allegedly 'tampering with historical facts'. “The second half of Bell Bottom shows the hijackers taking the aircraft to Dubai from Lahore. As per the actual incident that took place in 1984, United Arab Emirates Defence Minister, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, had personally handled the situation and it was the UAE authorities who had nabbed the hijackers,” Bollywood Hungama quoted a source as saying. "So there's a strong possibility that the Censor Board in the Middle Eastern countries must have taken objection to it and hence banned it," the source added.
2. Vidya Balan starrer 'The Dirty Picture'
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Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah and Emraan Hashmi starrer 'The Dirty Picture' got banned in Qatar in 2011 for its explicit content.
3. Deepika Padukone's 'Padmaavat'
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Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor's 'Padmaavat' became one of the highest-grossing films in India, however, it was banned in Malaysia apparently because it maligned the image of the particular region. A Muslim-majority country, Malaysia banned the film over concerns regarding 'sensitivities of Islam'.
4. Hrithik Roshan starrer 'Fiza'
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Hrithik Roshan and Karisma Kapoor starrer 'Fiza' was banned in Malaysia after it was reported that the government sources were offended by the portrayal of a Muslim protagonist as a terrorist.
5. Imran Khan starrer 'Delhi Belly'
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Former actor Imran Khan starrer 'Delhi Belly', an Aamir Khan production, was banned in Nepal by the authorities after the country's Film Censor Board complained that the Abhinay Deo-directed film was full of obscene dialogues and vulgar content.
6. Manisha Koirala and Arvind Swami starrer 'Bombay'
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Manisha Koirala and Arvind Swami starrer 'Bombay', directed by Mani Ratnam was banned in Singapore as the Government citing it had content that could induce riots.
7. Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal's 'Oh My God'
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Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal's 'Oh My God' was banned in UAE, other middle east countries and in Malaysia since it allegedly contained sensitive religious scenes.
8. Sonam Kapoor starrer 'Neerja'
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Sonam Kapoor starrer 'Neerja' was banned in Pakistan reportedly for showing the country in poor light.
