Yami Gautam-starrer political drama 'Article 370' banned in Gulf nations

Article 370 movie is based on the political event of revocation of the Indian Constitutional article by the Centre, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir

Bollywood actress Yami Gautam's latest film, Article 370, a political thriller based on the abrogation of special constitutional status to Jammu and Kashmir, has been banned in Gulf nations.

While the ban's reason is unclear, Article 370 is the second release recently to have faced the setback. Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone's starrer action movie Fighter, released in January, was also not allowed to be released in any Gulf nation except the United Arab Emirates.

What is the premise of the movie?

Article 370 takes its name from the Indian Constitution's Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. The article was revoked on August 5, 2019, by the Narendra Modi government, which then bifurcated the state of Jammu & Kashmir into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

The movie features Yami Gautam in the lead role, playing the part of an agent assigned by the government to execute a related mission in connection with the major political event. Gautam's husband, Aditya Dhar, is one of the film's producers.

Released in theatres on February 23, the movie has so far minted about Rs 22.80 crore domestically. The film is director Aditya Suhas Jambhale's debut feature film.

PM Modi endorses Article 370 movie

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself endorsed the film's release recently, noting its role in "educating the audience about the subject."

As the movie's release follows merely weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Jambhale, on the question of it being seen as a "propaganda" film, said that as a filmmaker, he has got to have an opinion on subjects. He also suggested that the audience is smart enough not to be fooled.

"The government doesn't need a film. You watch the film and then we will talk about it later," Jambhale defended his take in an interview with Outlook.