Pakistani minister Maryam Aurangzeb regrets banning Aamir Khan’s Dangal in Pakistan, says, "I hadn’t even watched the film"

Pakistani minister Maryam Aurangzeb regrets banning Aamir Khan’s Dangal in Pakistan, says, "I hadn’t even watched the film"

Maryam Aurangzeb, a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and current minister in Punjab, has expressed regret over her 2017 decision to ban the screening of Aamir Khan’s acclaimed film Dangal in Pakistan. The decision, taken during her tenure as the Federal Information Minister then, has been a point of personal reflection for her, as she now admits it was a mistake—especially since she hadn’t seen the film at the time.

Maryam Aurangzeb made the revelation during a recent podcast appearance. When asked if there was any decision from her political career that she looks back on with regret, she candidly acknowledged the ban on Dangal.

“Yes, if there is one regret that I have when I was the Federal Information Minister it was banning the screening of Dangal in Pakistan,” she confessed.

The decision, according to Aurangzeb, came early in her role, during her very first meeting with the censor board and officials from the Information Ministry. Based on their recommendation, she approved the ban, citing reasons that were presented to her—though she now believes those justifications lacked depth.

“It was my first meeting with the censor board representatives and information ministry people and they recommended a ban on screening of the film giving some reasons for this,” she explained.

It wasn’t until more than a year later that Aurangzeb actually watched Dangal, and the impact of the story changed her perspective entirely.

“One and half year later, I got a chance to see the film and I realised my decision to approve the ban was wrong. It was a film which was inspirational for our girls and was close to home,” she reflected.

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Released in 2016, Dangal is based on the true story of Indian wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat and his daughters, Geeta and Babita, who defied traditional gender roles to become international champions. The film received critical acclaim and massive commercial success for its portrayal of female empowerment, resilience, and the bond between a father and his daughters.

Between 2008 and 2019, Bollywood films had a steady run in Pakistani cinemas and were often crowd-pullers. However, escalating diplomatic tensions led to a complete ban on Indian films starting in 2019. Since then, Pakistan's cinema industry has faced significant setbacks, with many theaters shutting down due to a lack of engaging content.