Vijay-Starrer Beast Banned in Kuwait. Will Malaysia Follow Suit?

Vijay-starrer Beast has landed in controversy a week before its release. Directed by Nelson Kumar, produced by Sun Pictures and co-starring Pooja Hegde, the film has been banned in Kuwait. The ban has already created quite a stir not only in the Tamil industry but all over India. It is believed that the ban has been imposed because the film features scenes depicting Islamists as extremists.

Ramesh Bala, a film and trade analyst, announced on Twitter on Tuesday that “Beast is banned by the Ministry of Information in Kuwait.” He went on to say that, while there was no official word on why the film was banned in Kuwait, the “cause might be the portrayal of Pakistan, terrorism, or violence.”

https://twitter.com/rameshlaus/status/1511164954304737282?

Kuwait has already banned Indian films such as the recently released Group and FIR. Beast, however, is cleared to release in Gulf countries UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Bahrain. Coming back to the ban, this raises the fear of additional countries banning the film, citing the portrayal of Islamic terrorism as the reason. All eyes are now on Malaysia as the country has a history of banning Indian films or imposing certain restrictions on them.

Kamal Haasan had a hard time with Malaysian authorities when they banned his film Vishwaroopam. It was released on the first day but the screening was stopped immediately. The reason cited was Islamists being depicted as extremists.

Even Rajnikanth’s Kabali had a harrowing experience with Malaysia. The film, which was shot almost entirely in Malaysia, saw more than thirty censorship cuts in the country, claiming that it portrayed the country as a place full of violent thugs with high levels of scenes involving drugs, kidnapping and violence.

After Kuwait banned Beast, there are fears that Malaysia may impose a similar ban on the film. If that happens, it will be a major setback for the makers. Since Malaysia and Singapore are trading areas, the film industry is anxiously awaiting the country’s decision.

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