Article 370 banned in Gulf countries
The action political thriller Article 370, starring actor Yami Gautam, has faced a ban in Gulf countries. Despite enjoying success both domestically and internationally, with praise from audiences and critics alike, the ban in the Gulf is seen as a setback for the Hindi film industry. It denies audiences in the region the opportunity to experience acclaimed Indian cinema.
Earlier, the Hrithik Roshan-Deepika Padukone aerial action thriller Fighter was denied release in all Gulf countries except the UAE.
The ban in the Gulf countries is unexpected.
While the political connections are obvious—the former relates to the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, a moved opposed by most of the Muslim population of the state (with even the Pandit community now saying it did not have any intended impact on them, as claimed) and the latter has a distinct anti-Pakistan tone (while the makers say it is anti-terrorism)—it is also a fact that there is a thriving India-focussed tourism industry in the region and a big presence of Indian film productions.
The disparity between Bollywood’s influence on the Gulf’s entertainment sector and the lack of access to Indian films in theatres is evident.
While Indian cinema has a devoted following in the region, the absence of films like Article 370 highlights a worrying trend of censorship and limited cultural exchange, according to a statement.
The revoking of Article 370 has tom-tommed by the BJP government for a the last four-and-a-half years by the BJP as one of the biggest achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He recently mentioned the film during a speech in Jammu.
While some view this as a failure of Modi’s diplomatic efforts, the ban also reflects ongoing tensions between India and Muslim-majority nations, regardless of whether these tensions are less visible than before.
