In the emerging updates regarding Bell Bottom’s ban, we finally have reasons why the Akshay Kumar starring Bell Bottom has been banned is banned in 3 major Gulf countries. The film, which was one of the first major Bollywood release after the COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent lockdowns, has opened with favourable reviews, but the recent ban may affect its worldwide box-office collections.
Details
While developed Middle Eastern countries such as Doha, Dubai, Oman, Abu Dhabi, are the home of some major international film shoots, it also puts down gavel on accepting content that may not be fit for a release.
In one such instance, Akshay Kumar starrer Bell Bottom, which released last week with fanfare, has been banned in multiple Gulf countries. According to Bollywood Hungama, the film’s release has been banned in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait as it is allegedly “not fit for exhibition”.
Here’s Why Bell Bottom is Banned?
Bell Bottom revolves on the highly debated real-life incident which transpired when Indira Gandhi was serving as India’s Prime Minister.
The film revolves around an incident where an Indian airplane was hijacked during the 80s and according to Bollywood Hungama, the 3 gulf countries mentioned above, had problems with the second half of the film where the hijackers are seen taking the plane from Lahore to Dubai.
Directed by Ranjit M Tewari, the film tells the story of an Indian intelligence agent played by Akshay Kumar and Indian authorities played a major part in successfully rescuing the hostages and subsequently nabbing the culprits.
Also Read: Bell Bottom Movie Review: Akshay Kumar Drives the Film and Take it on His Shoulders
What are the Gulf Countries Claiming?
However, according to reports, in 1984, UAE Defence Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum was the person who personally took the charge in the handling of the mission. UAE, after the mission was successful, considered itself to be the primary protagonist in the incident.
Reportedly, the Censor Board of Middle Eastern Countries found the way Bell Bottom portrayed the incident as “tampering” with the facts and thus, have chosen to ban it in the aforementioned countries.
So, is Bell Bottom Based on Really Based on True Events?
Yes and No. As every real-life incident goes to film, a disclaimer is added that the inspiration for the films have been certain events, but the makers have taken liberty and actual events have not been directly depicted in the same way.
The same disclaimer was added to Bell Bottom as well, further, according to a Firstpost report from 2021, Akshay Kumar, who plays the lead in the film said, “The events are true, but we have taken some creative liberty in characterization. We have dramatized it; we had to fictionalize it a bit.”
On the other side, film’s director Ranjit Tewari too claimed that the character of Indira Gandhi, played by an unfathomable Lara Dutta, is as close to reality. “We have been extremely responsible in writing that character. We didn’t think, ‘For cinematic liberty, let’s do this.’ We were sure where we were going with that. The CBFC [Central Board of Film Certification] has also passed it without any cuts.”
Also Read: Nisha Rawal on Spat with Karan Mehra: I Don’t Want Any Alimony, Wants Son Kavish’s Custody
The Source of the Inspiration for Bell Bottom
As mentioned above, Bell Bottom is not completely – but partially inspired by true events. Earlier in 1984, an Indian Airlines flight was hijacked by 9 young hijackers. The flight was flying from Srinagar to Delhi, however the hijackers wanted it to land in the US. No fatalities were reported by the end of the rescue and according to Press Trust of India, the hijackers were Sikh militants loyal to an orthodox Sikh leader.
