Barbie faces ban in Pakistan's Punjab over 'objectionable content' 

Greta Gerwig's Barbie has been released worldwide and running to packed houses in the US since its release on Friday. The film stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken and also features an ensemble cast that includes Will Farrel, America Farrera, Simu Liu and Dua Lipa among others. While the film is being appreciated the world over, it has faced a roadblock in Pakistan and its release has also been temporarily delayed.

According to reports, Islamabad has taken a ban into consideration over the film's LGBTQ+ themes.

Pakistan's temporary ban on Barbie

The Censor Board in Punjab province of Pakistan has temporarily banned the film over 'objectionable' content. According to reports, the film's ban will be lifted after the censor board reevaluates the content and removes the objectionable content from the film. The film will hit Pakistani cinema halls on a later unknown date, as the process would take a few days to complete.

Barbie banned in other Muslim countries

Pakistan is not the only Muslim country to ban the film. Other Islamic nations like UAE, Egypt, Qatar, Iran and Saudi Arabia have banned the film as most Islamic nations don't view pro-LGBTQ content with enthusiasm. Hollywood films and serials that carry pro-LGBTQ content are often scrutinised in these countries. They either are banned or facemajor censorship.

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Why is Barbie being banned?

In Russia, the film faced a temporarybanas Moscowfeels the film promotes a consumerist attitude among infants. Meanwhile, Vietnam and the Philippines banned it due to its depiction of the Nice Dash Line which these countries claim violates their sovereignty as a depiction of this linestrengthens China's claims in the South China Sea, over which these nations have outright rejected China's claims.

The film has received mostly positive reviews from critics. WION's Shomini Sen called the film a clever satire. "With several references to pop culture, Barbie is truly Meta. Here the head of Mattel talks of dolls and business and little girls in between getting tickles from his colleagues - all dressed in corporate suits. The story has dolls being perceived as humans on several occasions and humans themselves transporting to doll land in order to fix things or maybe delve deeper into inner conflicts. It's the thin line that Greta very skillfully treads on with the film's narrative. Where everything is plastic and fake and yet very real," wrote Sen in her review. Read full review of the film here.