Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone’s much-anticipated film, ‘Fighter’, is facing a ban in Gulf countries, excluding the UAE, just days before its global release on January 25. While promotional efforts have been underway, industry experts Girish Johar and Sreedhar Pillai revealed that the movie has been officially prohibited in all Gulf nations except the UAE. The UAE will still see the release of ‘Fighter’ with a PG 15 classification. The ban details are pending an official statement from the filmmakers.
‘Fighter,’ directed by Siddharth Anand, is an aerial action film boasting a star-studded cast including Anil Kapoor. The ban aligns with a trend in Gulf countries, previously affecting films like ‘Beast,’ ‘Kaathal – The Core,’ ‘Sita Ramam,’ ‘FIR,’ and ‘Monster,’ attributed to diverse reasons, including portrayal of Islamists, LGBTQ content, and religious grounds. The Viacom18 Studios and Marflix Pictures production, made on a colossal budget of Rs 250 crore, is set to hit theaters globally, with the exception of Gulf countries where the ban is in effect.