No DANGAL sans national anthem

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan is OK with releasing his hit `Dangal` in Pakistan but not without national antheme. Although there is a huge demand for the Aamir`s film, yet the Pakistani censor demands that Indian national anthem should be deleted from the movie. Only last year, theatre owners and exhibitors in Pakistan temporarily stopped screening Indian films after Pakistani artistes and technicians were banned by the Indian Motion Pictures Producers` Association (IMPPA) from working in India. The controversial move was taken in the wake of political tension between India and Pakistan, post the Uri (Jammu and Kashmir) attacks. However, earlier this year, Pakistan lifted the ban on Indian films and began screening them in the country. And a few days ago, local distributors from the neighbouring nation apparently requested for `Dangal` (2016) to be released there. Aamir Khan and the film`s team were “absolutely okay” with that, especially since Pakistani audiences have always loved Hindi films and Indian actors. But, Aamir was surprised with the demands of the Pakistan censor board to omit the scenes featuring the Indian flag and playing the national anthem.  Incidentally, `Dangal` is the Hindi movie industry`s biggest blockbuster with over Rs 385 crore at the Indian box office.