MUSCAT (Dispatches) – Hindi-language action film Tiger 3, which was released on Sunday has been banned in the Persian Gulf states Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, reportedly over concerns Muslims are portrayed in a negative light.
The movie’s release coincided with the Hindu festival of Diwali, and has set a new record by becoming the highest-grossing Diwali day release.
According to the Times of India, the movie starring Bollywood stars Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif also stars Emraan Hashmi who is the antagonist in the spy-thriller assuming the role of the leader of a global terror organization, playing into Islamophobic tropes.
The outlet also reported that while rumors of the ban are still unconfirmed, there has been speculation among some fans that the reason could stem from “Katrina Kaif’s fight scene in a towel.” According to Firstpost, “The Middle East countries are little apprehensive to release the Maneesh Sharma directorial in their cinema halls due to its India-Pakistan narrative,” noting that the sequel deals with the protagonists “who land up in Pakistan and attempt to prevent the PM of the country from getting assassinated.”
Last year, the Tamil-language film Beast was banned in Kuwait and Qatar, after the film’s alleged depictions of Muslims as terrorists and several dialogues perceived to be against Pakistan. The historical epic Samrat Prithviraj also received a ban in Kuwait and Oman, reportedly for “distorting history” and “hurting sentiments” of the Muslim community.