No ban on film 'Article 370' in Gulf countries, say sources; certification awaited

NEW DELHI: The Bollywood film 'Article 370' does not face any ban in Gulf countries, sources have said. Sources further added that in certain Gulf countries, the film awaits certification.

Earlier, a release from the public relations team of the film had claimed that the movie was banned in Gulf countries. The high-octane action political drama, headlined by Yami Gautam and directed by National Award-winner Aditya Suhas Jambhale, is produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Aditya Dhar, and Lokesh Dhar. 'Article 370' was released in cinemas on February 23.

Actor Yami Gautam on Monday said the cast and the makers had "full faith" in the film finding favour with the audience. Revealing that the makers were told that such films may not find too many takers, the actor said, "We were told that this film may not find success at the box office as viewers do not appreciate such subjects."

In the film, Yami Gautam plays intelligence officer Zooni Haksar. Set in the backdrop of Jammu and Kashmir, the film is based on the landmark revocation of Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state. On August 5, 2019, the Union Government revoked Article 370. "We had full faith in the film striking the right chord and finding favour with the audience. A common refrain in the congratulatory messages that I have been receiving since our film hit theatres is that the youth should watch it as there's no propaganda in it," Yami Gautam said.

Helmed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, the film also stars Priyamani, Arun Govil and Kiran Karmarkar in key roles. Filmmaker and Yami's husband, Aditya Dhar, who produced this film, said, "We could only work hard for this film, which we did. We knew once the film arrived in theatres, we wouldn't have any control over how it was received by the viewers. There wasn't much we could do. We just submitted ourselves to the audience and hoped for the best. We knew it was the audience, and the audience alone, who could give our film its due. Our film had characters based on real-life people, who worked tirelessly for the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. The idea was to narrate their struggles in real life and bring it to viewers through the audio-visual medium. However, we never imagined our film getting such a response and receiving somuch love from viewers."