Shaheer Ahmed
Truth has emerged regarding the alleged ban on Greta Gerwig’s eagerly awaited Barbie, which has angered Pakistanis, particularly Punjabis.
Barbie was given the go-ahead to be released across the province on July 20 by the Punjab Film Censor Board (PFCB), but a day later the Punjab government banned its showings. A division of the province’s Department of Information and Culture is the Punjab Film Censor Board.
Barbie allegedly became illegal in Punjab province after the Censor Board refused to certify the movie due to its “objectionable content.”
On July 21, a Twitter user complained, “People are waiting for Barbie and the Punjab Censor Board has banned the film.” In response, a verified source tweeted that the Punjab Censor Board has withheld the film’s NOC until “objectionable” content is removed from the film.
Barbie was actually authorised for release across the province on July 21 by the Punjab Film Censor Board, the organisation in charge of overseeing films in the province, but the Punjab government has since banned the movie from theatres due to claims that it contains “pro-LGBT” content.
Members of the Censor Board claimed that the film’s screening was halted on July 22 by the Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Culture.
Punjab’s Caretaker Information and Culture Minister Aamir Mir also confirmed that the provincial government had some reservations about the film’s content, claiming that the film depicted “homosexuality”. Mir also mentioned that there was an issue with the content of homosexuality in the movie.
“Now [the film] will go to review and then release, maybe in a day or two, the dialogues etc. will be censored and then it will be released,” he added.
Read More: Barbie “Recalled” Throughout Cinemas in Punjab
