Movies have banned in many countries because of graphic violence, nudity or being overly sexual. This is pretty common as some countries have more conservative cultures which don’t allow them to screen such films. But sometimes it goes overboard as some films have been banned for rather ludicrous reasons.
Ghostbusters (2016)
The reboot of Ghostbusters which has an all-female cast may not have been as successful as the original but there was seemingly no reason for it to be banned. That is until China pretty much banned it. The reason stated was that the movie promotes superstitions and cults. However, they never stated in what way it does so.
Padman (2018)
Padman is a 2018 Hindi film centred on a man who makes cheap sanitary pads for women when he realises his wife doesn’t have easy access to it. However, this film was banned by the Pakistani censor-board as menstruation is apparently a taboo according to their culture. Many women in Pakistan have opposed this ban, saying that nowhere in Islamism is it stated that menstruation is a taboo and other Islamic countries have not banned it.
Barney’s Great Adventure (1998)
Barney the purple dinosaur was pretty popular with kids in the 90s and early 2000s. However, a feature film on the dinosaur was banned in Malaysia for no apparent reason. They stated the movie was unacceptable for kids, though it is hard to see what is ‘unacceptable’ when it comes to a Dino TV star. One might probably think it has got to do with Barney being a dinosaur, but Jurassic Park was released in Malaysia five years prior in 1993.
Blue Jasmine (2013)
Blue Jasmine is a Comedy-Drama film directed by Woody Allen. The movie was banned in India for a rather awkward reason. The director refused to put the scroll which stated the ill effects of smoking, on every scene where the characters were shown smoking. But in all honesty, most people who smoke already know the health risks.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
The second instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series was banned in China for showing cannibals, though the act of cannibalism was never actually shown, and also for the “soul of the dead” creatures shown in the film like Davy Jones. China is a strong atheist country and hence don’t entertain superstitions.
E.T. (1982)
E.T. was a children’s movie which was highly successful in the US and other countries. However, in Norway, Sweden and Finland, the movie was banned for children below a certain age. The countries stated that the movie shows adults as enemies, which could be traumatising for young children. There were strong protests as the movie’s target group was children, and they weren’t being allowed to watch it.
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
You would think this movie would be banned for Bart’s naked skateboard scene but in Myanmar, this movie was banned because it juxtaposed the colours yellow and red. These colours are worn by people who support rebel faction groups in Myanmar, which is what led to the movie being banned there. Well, here’s hoping the Chinese flag won’t be banned there!
