List of films banned in Pakistan

Pakistan started banning films since 1962, with restrictions tightened in 1979 when Muhammad Zia ul-Haq implemented an Islamization agenda and an even stricter censorship code.[1] A ban on Indian films and media (which was not always strictly enforced) was lifted in 2008, with the compromise that cinemas in Pakistan must equally share screening time between Indian and Pakistani films.[2][3]

2006
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2006 The Da Vinci Code Hollywood Banned due to protest by the Christian community in Pakistan.[4]

2010
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2010 Lahore Bollywood It was banned as the censor board objected to some dialogues and scenes of film.[5]
2010 Tere Bin Laden Bollywood Banned in Pakistan fearing the title could be misconstrued by Islamist extremists as reason for attack.[6][7]

2011
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2011 Slackistan Independent Director refused to make cuts requested by the Central Board of Film Censors.
2011 The Dirty Picture Bollywood was banned by authorities.[8] However, it was later cleared for release only a week after the Indian premiere.[9]
2011 Delhi Belly Bollywood was not allowed to be screened by the censor board.[10]

2012
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2012 Khiladi 786 Bollywood was renamed as Khiladi for release[11] but promos and ads of the film were banned in Pakistan.[12]
2012 Ek Tha Tiger Bollywood was banned because ISI agent role was depicted by Katrina Kaif's character.[13]
2012 Agent Vinod Bollywood Banned because of Anti-Pakistan propaganda. It was mainly also against ISI spy agency.[14]

2013
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2013 Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Bollywood banned because it depicts Pakistan Sports Authorities using unfair means. It depicts the country in a wrong way.[15]
2013 Raanjhanaa Bollywood Banned because the film portrays an image of a Muslim girl (played by Sonam Kapoor) falling in love with a Hindu man and having an affair with him.[16]
2013 G.I. Joe: Retaliation Hollywood Banned due to the film's depiction of Pakistan as an unstable state and the fictional portrayal of a "foreign invasion of Pakistan’s nuclear installations".[17]

2014
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2014 Children of War Bollywood It was banned for its portrayal of the 1971 war contrary to Pakistan's view.
2014 Haider Bollywood was banned as it depicts Kashmir insurgency, a sensitive issue in country.[18]
2014 Noah Hollywood was banned due to the portrayal of Noah by an Actor.[19]

2015
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2015 Calendar Girls Bollywood was banned by Pakistan due to objection in one of the dialogue in the film.[20][21]
2015 Phantom Bollywood was demanded to be banned by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed's Jamaat-ud-Dawa.[22] Phantom is about 26/11 attacks based on book Mumbai Avengers by Hussain Zaidi.[23] Lahore High Court banned movie on 20 August 2015[24] as federal government wanted petition by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed to be dismissed due to its uselessness and the government doesn't wanted to be involved unnecessarily because no one in Pakistan asked for NOC to screen the film.[25][26] LHC judge Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan asked the government that what it could do to stop the movie CDs from being sold in market after ban.[27]
2015 Baby Bollywood a Bollywood film based on Terrorism was banned in Pakistan.[28]
2015 Bangistan Bollywood a film about two suicide bombers was banned by the Pakistan's Central Board of Film Censors.[29]

2016
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2016 Dishoom Bollywood was banned because the movie talks about an Indian cricketer getting kidnapped before India and Pakistan match and that cause the country to think it is against Pakistan.[30]
2016 Udta Punjab Bollywood was banned due to use of abusive language.[31]
2016 Shivaay Bollywood was banned because of India-Pakistan border conflict.[32]
2016 Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Bollywood was banned because of India-Pakistan border conflict.[33][34]
2016 Neerja Bollywood was banned by Pakistan for allegedly showing the country in bad light, a fact denied by Sonam Kapoor, who portrays slain flight attendant Neerja Bhanot in the film.[35]
2016 Ambarsariya Pollywood was banned in Pakistan due to direct references to Indian intelligence agency RAW inside the movie.[36]

2017
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2017 Viceroy's House British Banned in Pakistan for alleged misrepresenting Mohammad Ali Jinnah (Founder Of Pakistan).
2017 Tubelight Bollywood was banned to prevent hamper of the release of local films[37]
2017 Tiger Zinda Hai Bollywood Banned because was banned because ISI agent role was depicted by Katrina Kaif's character.
2017 Dangal Bollywood Banned when Actor-Producer Aamir Khan refused Pakistan Censor Board's demand to remove scenes with the Indian National Flag and Indian National Anthem.[38]
2017 Naam Shabana Bollywood was banned because it portrays Pakistan in "bad taste".[39]
2017 Jolly LLB 2 Bollywood was banned because the film makes references to the Kashmir issue.[40]
2017 Raees Bollywood was banned due to its "objectionable" content, as "the content undermines Islam, and a specific religious sect, (It also) portrays some Muslims as criminals, wanted persons and terrorists".[41]

2018
Date Movie Name Country Film Industry The Reason Banned
2018 Pad Man Bollywood A film with “taboo” subjects such as menstruation.
2018 Pari Bollywood Promotes black magic.
2018 Raazi Bollywood Showed an intelligence agent who spied Pakistan for India.
2018 Gold Bollywood For fears regarding the depiction of the 1947 partition.[42]
2018 Veere Di Wedding Bollywood For depicting obscenity and vulgar dialogues by female characters.
2018 Mulk Bollywood The movie shows an Indian Muslim family accused of treason and ties with the Pakistanis.[43]
2018 Aiyaary Bollywood Banned for anti-pakistan propaganda.[44]
2018 Race 3 Bollywood The ban was imposed so that four big banner Pakistani films and other smaller regional language releases on Eid do good business without competition from Bollywood movies.[45]
2018 Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran Bollywood Banned for anti-pakistan propaganda.

2019-Present

Since February 2019, Pakistan has banned the screening of all Indian films in retaliation to the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by the Indian government pertaining to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.[46]

References
  1. "Pakistan restricts screening of films from India". LA Times. Archived from the original on 2018-10-01. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
  2. Nyay Bhushan. "Pakistani High Court Bans Screening of Indian Films, TV Shows". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  3. "Pakistan petition seeking ban on Bollywood films withdrawn". Dnaindia.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  4. "Pakistan bans Da Vinci Code film". Archived from the original on 2015-11-26. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  5. "Bollywood's 'Lahore' banned in Pakistan". Archived from the original on 2015-11-26. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  6. "'Tere Bin Laden,' Indian Film With Osama Lookalike, Banned In Pakistan". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  7. "Pakistan bans India Osama Bin Laden comedy". BBC. Archived from the original on 2018-11-12. Retrieved 2018-06-21.
  8. "THE DIRTY BALAN STARRER "THE DIRTY PICTURE" BANNED BY PAKISTAN!". playtv.com.pk. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  9. "The Dirty Picture cleared for release in Pakistan – NDTV Movies". NDTVMovies.com. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
  10. "'Delhi Belly' denied public exhibition license in Pakistan". The Express Tribune. 30 June 2011. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  11. "Khiladi 786 renamed Khiladi for release in Pakistan". Archived from the original on 2015-11-26. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  12. "Akshay Kumar's Khiladi 786 promos banned by Pakistan Censor Board".
  13. "Ek Tha Tiger". ban at the tribune.com.pk. Archived from the original on 2015-11-26. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  14. "Agent Vinod banned from Pakistani cinemas". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  15. "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag banned in Pakistan". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  16. "Pakistan Film Censor Board has banned "Raanjhanaa"". The Times of India. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  17. Kaifee, Sib (2013-04-01). "'GI JOE 2: Retaliation' banned in Pakistan for portraying country in negative light". Fox News. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
  18. "India's Haider might not see the light of day in Pakistan". Archived from the original on 2015-09-07. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  19. "4. Noah". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  20. banned, Bollywood ‘Calendar Girls’ (24 September 2015). "Bollywood 'Calendar Girls' banned in Pakistan". The News Tribe. Archived from the original on 29 October 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  21. Dedhia, Sonil (24 September 2015). "Pakistan's Ministry of Culture refuses No Objection Certificate to Calendar Girls". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  22. "Controversial: Government issued notice over screening of 'anti-Pakistan' film". The Express Tribune. 11 August 2015. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  23. IANS (11 August 2015). "No surprise if 'Phantom' gets banned in Pakistan: Saif Ali Khan". english. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  24. "'Anti-Pakistan movie': LHC bans screening of Indian film Phantom". The Express Tribune. 20 August 2015. Archived from the original on 20 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  25. "Accepting Hafiz Saeed's plea, LHC bans Phantom in Pakistan". Daily Pakistan Global. 20 August 2015. Archived from the original on 27 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  26. "LHC stops screening of Saif's 'Phantom' in Pakistan on Saeed's plea". STAFF REPORT. 20 August 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  27. "Phantom banned in Pakistan: Hafiz Saeed wins yet again : Bollywood, News". India Today. 20 August 2015. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  28. "Bollywood 'shocked' over Pakistan's ban on 'Baby'". Archived from the original on 2015-08-04. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  29. Mahmood, Rafay (6 August 2015). "Bangistan gets a 'complete ban' by central censor board". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 10 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  30. "Dishoom banned in Pakistan, Varun Dhawan upset with the decision". The Indian Express. 30 July 2016. Archived from the original on 30 July 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  31. "Udta Punjab banned in Pakistan". The Nation (Pakistan). 20 June 2016. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  32. "Udta Punjab banned in Pakistan". The Nation (Pakistan). 20 June 2016. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  33. "Maalik". Banned at the Dunya News. Archived from the original on 6 June 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  34. "Maalik". Banned at the BBC Urdu. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  35. Desk, Entertainment (25 February 2016). "Sonam Kapoor simply can't get over 'Neerja' ban in Pakistan". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  36. "Indian Punjabi film banned in Pakistan". The Express Tribune. 31 March 2016. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  37. "Makers of Salman Khan's Tubelight release an official statement on its Pakistan ban". filmfare.com. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  38. "Dangal: Pakistan wants Indian flag, National Anthem cut, Aamir Khan says no". Archived from the original on 2017-04-12. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
  39. "Taapsee Pannu starrer 'Naam Shabana' banned across Pakistan". Retrieved 2017-04-04.
  40. "Akshay Kumar-starrer Jolly LLB 2 banned in Pakistan". Archived from the original on 2017-02-12. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
  41. "Pakistan Bans Shah Rukh-starrer Raees for 'Undermining Islam'". News18.com. 7 February 2017. Archived from the original on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  42. Varma, Lipika (2018-08-16). "Akshay Kumar requests for Gold's release". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  43. https://www.firstpost.com/india/ban-on-mulk-in-pakistan-ironic-indian-movies-that-dispel-anti-muslim-stereotypes-dont-bode-well-with-film-censors-across-border-4898761.html
  44. https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/bollywood/160218/pakistan-does-it-again.html
  45. https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/race-3-makes-opening-day-box-office-record-in-pakistan-post-ban-beating-avengers-infinity-war-4586671.html
  46. Ghosh, Samrudhi (February 28, 2019). "Pakistan bans Indian films. But can they survive without 70 per cent revenue from Bollywood?". India Today. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
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