Pakistan bans SRK's 'Pathaan'? Screening haulted by authorities in Sindh; Details inside

Ever since its release on January 25, 2023, 'Pathaan' starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham has been a juggernaut at the box office, breaking one record after another.

Bringing a huge relief to Bollywood, the film has successfully reinstated the position of Hindi films at a time when major big ticket releases had failed drastically in the recent past.

On the day nine of its release, 'Pathaan' has breached the Rs 700 crore mark at the ticket windows. And if trade pundits are to be believed, then the film will only go from strength to strength in the coming days.

Have Pak authorities not certified the screening of 'Pathaan'?

Despite all the overseas success, a report has surfaced claiming that the SRK-starrer has been banned in Pakistan. As stated by Pakistani newspaper 'Dawn', an 'illegal' screening of Pathaan was haulted by the Sindh Board of Films Censor.

A company that goes by the name 'Firework Events' had reportedly organized the screening of the blockbuster Bollywood film across various places in Pakistan. The demand for tickets in the inflation-hit country was also a jaw-dropping 900 Pakistani Rupees!

However, as soon as the authorities got the whiff of it, they stopped the screening of 'Pathaan'. Post this, the Censor Board of Pakistan's Sindh province issues a statement prohibiting public or even private screening of any film which has not been duly certified for the same by the Board.

The statement further read that violaters will be penalised for upto 1 lakh PR besides a jail term of 3 years for not adhering to the directive.

Noteworthy, this has given rise to speculation that the film has been banned in the neighbouring country, where the Censors have not yet approved its screening.

'Pathaan' may soon breach the Rs 800 crore mark globally

Now coming to box office collection, 'Pathaan' has hits Rs 725 crore worldwide, including over Rs 375 crore from domestic collection. The action thriller, which has set new benchmark for Bollywood films, is expected to break more records this weekend while inching towards the Rs 800 crore club.

Helmed by Siddharth Anand and bankrolled by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films (YRF), 'Pathaan' is the fourth movie in YRF Spy Universe (after 'Ek Tha Tiger', 'Tiger Zinda Hai' and 'War').

The film also features Salman Khan in a cameo, reprising his role of Tiger (from 'Ek Tha Tiger' and 'Tiger Zinda Hai').