Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone's 'Fighter' banned in Gulf countries

There's bad news for Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone's Gulf-based fans eagerly awaiting the release of the film "Fighter". According to Girish Johar, a film business expert and producer, the movie has been denied release in all Gulf countries except the UAE for now.

Johar confirmed that "Fighter" will be released in the UAE with a PG 15 classification. Official confirmation regarding the ban from the makers is still pending.

Not only "Fighter", but Mammootty's "Kaathal - The Core", Thalapathy Vijay's "Beast", "Sita Ramam", the Tamil film "FIR", and Mohanlal's "Monster" faced bans earlier. Gulf countries refuse film releases based on various criteria, including the portrayal of Islamists as extremists, and LGBTQ content, on religious grounds as well. 

"Fighter" is an aerial action film helmed by director Siddharth Anand, starring Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, and Anil Kapoor in pivotal roles. The collaborative script is penned by Ramon Chibb and Siddharth Anand, with a supporting cast including Karan Singh Grover, Akshay Oberoi, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Talat Aziz, Sanjeev Jaiswal, Rishab Sawhney, and Ashutosh Rana.

The movie is set to hit theaters on January 25. It's reported to have been made with an impressive budget of Rs 250 crore.