Film Barbie was removed from Punjab cinemas after playing for a day on late Saturday. After finally being allowed to screen in Punjab on Saturday morning, by late night, cinemas once again began to refund tickets and cancel shows.
The sudden cancellations have created much confusion as fans were left trying to figure out the exact plans of cinemas, distributors and the censor board.
As per The Express Tribune, sources inside Punjab censor board have told that the film was removed in spite of being given a NOC, after public complaints. “Barbie has not been banned, the film has been recalled for another review”. “This time it is the government of Punjab and not the censor board that has made this decision. The government has intervened and called for a second review of the film, the date of which hasn’t been finalized yet.”
Meanwhile, Barbie has been allowed to release uncut and uncensored with a PG rating by Sindh and Central Board. However, many cinemas in Punjab, such as Cue Cinemas, did not play the film even in the short time period where it was allowed, due to the uncertainty of the Punjab censor board. “We had our doubts about how Barbie may be received, and that’s why we didn’t play it at all,” said Cue Cinema’s on-duty manager, Mohammad Mansoor.
