Yami Gautam-starrer political drama Article 370 gets banned in Gulf countries

Yami Gautam's political drama Article 370 was released worldwide on February 23. Ever since the movie hit the theatres, it has been garnering rave reviews from the audience and critics alike. However, on Monday (Feb 26), the movie faced a little blockade as it got banned from release in the Gulf countries.

Directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, the movie is based on one of the most debated yet controversial topics in Indian history: Article 370, which granted special status to the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

As per news agency ANI, the movie will not be screened in Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.

No specific reason behind the shocking ban has been disclosed. However, ANI reports that the ban in Gulf countries comes as a surprise particularly considering the region's thriving tourism industry and the continued presence of Indian movies being filmed there. Amid this, the ban on films like Article 370 emphasises upon a concerning trend of censorship and limited cultural exchange, as per the statement.

Before Article 370, Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone's aerial drama Fighter was banned from release in the Gulf. The movie was released in India on January 25.

More about Article 370

Starring Yami Gautam and Priyamani in the lead roles, the movie revolves around the government of India's crucial decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special status. The 2-hour long film revolves around Yami's character Zooni Haksar, an intelligence agent who executed the most-wanted militant, Burhan Wani, and now has been assigned as the head of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) operation in Kashmir.While Rajeshwari Swaminatha (Priyamani) is playing the role of a bureaucrat in the Prime Minister’s Office in Delhi.

Article 370 Box Office

Yami's movie got a superb reaction from the audience. In the first weekend, the movie earned around Rs 25 crore (Rs 250 million) at the box office in India.

Trade Analyst Taran Adarsh wrote on X, ''#Article370 SCORES BIG in its opening weekend… The growth on Day 2 and 3 was very much on the cards, but amassing a solid ₹ 25 cr+ in its weekend elevates it to the SUCCESS category… Fri 6.12 cr, Sat 9.08 cr, Sun 10.25 cr. Total: ₹ 25.45 cr. #India biz. #Boxoffice.''

The movie is co-produced and co-written by Aditya Dhar, the director of Uri: The Surgical Strike. The film also stars Kiran Karmarkar and Arun Govil.