The first big film of 2025, Sky Force , was released today across the country. It has got a huge release worldwide, except in one major territory – the Middle East. Bollywood Hungama has learned that the aerial action entertainer hasn’t been released in several countries in this part of Asia like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman etc.
The reason for the ban is not known. But an industry insider said, “ Sky Force deals with tensions between India and Pakistan. Some of such films in the past have faced bans in the Middle East and that could be the probable reason.
” A trade source, however, expressed surprise, “ Sky Force is not jingoistic and doesn’t indulge in Pakistan bashing as some other films of Bollywood have done in recent times. Hence, this ban in the Middle Eastern belt comes as a huge surprise.” Last year, another aerial film, Fighter (2024) was banned in the Middle East.
The Hrithik Roshan-Deepika Padukone starrer also was about the conflict between the Indian and Pakistani forces. A month later, Article 370 (2024) was not allowed a release in the Gulf countries, due to its sensitive political content. The 2023 Diwali release Tiger 3 was banned in Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar.
In 2022, the Vijay Thalapathy starrer Beast was banned in Qatar and Kuwait due to its portrayal of Pakistan and terrorism. Sky Force stars Akshay Kumar, Sara Ali Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Sharad Kelkar and it marks the debut of Veer Pahariya. Backed by Maddock Films and Jio Studios, it is.
