Akshay's Bell Bottom wins rave reviews, but these Gulf countries have banned it
The actor’s spy thriller has received good reviews since its worldwide release on August 19. But not everyone is impressed
Actor Akshay Kumar’s spy thriller Bell Bottom has received good reviews since its worldwide release on August 19. But not everyone is impressed.
Film certification authorities in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar have rejected Bell Bottom for allegedly tampering with historical facts. The movie is based on secret Indian operations against hijacking of India’s planes in the early 1980s.
“The second half of Bell Bottom shows hijackers taking the aircraft to Dubai from Lahore. As per the actual incident that took place in 1984, [then] United Arab Emirates Defence Minister, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, had personally handled the situation and it was the UAE authorities who had nabbed the hijackers,” Bollywood Hungama quoted a source as saying.
Bell Bottom depicts Kumar’s character leading the rescue operation while keeping the UAE leader unaware of the whole episode.
“So there’s a strong possibility that the censor boards in the Middle Eastern countries must have taken objection to it and hence banned it,” the source said.
Featuring a stellar cast including Adil Hussain, Lara Dutta, Denzil Smith, Huma Qureshi and Vaani Kapoor, the Ranjit M Tewari directorial is the first major Bollywood film to hit cinemas after the COVID-19 unlocking.
The makers of Bell Bottom are being lauded for releasing the film despite cinemas operating only at 50 per cent capacity.
The movie collected a paltry ₹2.75 crore on Friday and ₹2.40 crore on Saturday as fewer people are going out for movies, according to Bollywood Hungama.
