The much-anticipated Bollywood action-thriller ‘Fighter’ was set to release in the UAE on Saturday, January 27. However, residents are now unable to locate showtimes for the film or book tickets.
Earlier, Indian media reports had stated that the Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone-starrer would be banned across the Gulf, except the UAE – where it would be screened with a PG15 rating.
However, customer care agents from VOX and Reel Cinemas have confirmed to Khaleej Times that the film has been suspended by authorities in the UAE.
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“The film has been suspended by the Dubai authorities, it has been red-flagged in all cinemas. We have no further information as of now,” a Reel cinemas customer care agent said on call.
The distributor of the film, Home Screen Entertainment in UAE has said in a social media post that the Bollywood movie’s release has been suspended. Khaleej Times has reached out to the distributor for a comment.
The film also does not feature on any cinemas’ websites in the UAE, although one can see the show timings that had been decided earlier using Google search.
The UAE National Media Council is the official regulatory authority of films in the country, and is yet to make an official statement on the suspension of the film.
This is not the first time that a film has been suspended or delayed in UAE.
In 2023, one of the world’s highest-grossing films, ‘Barbie’ had a delayed release in the UAE.
In 2022, Malayalam film ‘Sita Ramam’ also had a delayed release. The Indian film is also set against the backdrop of the Indian Army and is set in a time of war.