Marriyum Aurangzeb says banning Dangal movie in Pakistan was a mistake

Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb expressed regret over a decision she made while serving in the government, saying that her decision as an Information Minister to ban the Bollywood movie Dangal wasn’t right; the movie should have been released in Pakistan.

In a recent podcast, when asked about compromises she regretted, the minister responded with remorse over banning an Indian movie, saying, "Dangal shouldn't have been banned."

“I'd just taken the portfolio of information minister, I didn’t even watch that movie,” she said, adding that the decision was taken over the briefing of the censor board that described the reasons why the movie should not be released in Pakistan.

The PML-N lawmaker said she watched that movie one and a half years after it was released, following which she realised that Dangal should be released in Pakistan.

"I still carry that weight with me," she said regretfully.

Read: Aamir Khan says he made the first anti-Pakistan movie on backlash from Hindu right wing

Earlier, Bollywood actor and Dangal star Aamir Khan had openly discussed the ban on the movie in Pakistan during an interview. 

He claimed that Pakistan’s censor board demanded the removal of the Indian national flag and anthem from Dangal after Geeta Phogat’s victory scene. He said that Pakistani authorities threatened to block the film’s release, if the specific parts were not removed. 

“I told Disney in just one second that our film will not be released in Pakistan,” Aamir said.

“Anyone who tells us to remove our Indian flag and national anthem, I have nothing to do with them. I don’t want that business,” he added.