'Article 370': Gulf countries ban Yami Gautam, Priyamani starrer

'Article 370' minted Rs 6.12 crore on its opening day at the domestic box office and has collected more than Rs 25 crore so far. (A scene from the film)

Article 370 has been banned in Gulf countries. The Aditya Suhas Jambhale directorial was released in theatres on February 23 and is the second film to be banned in the region in recent times after the ban of Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone starrer Fighter. The film was released only in UAE last month. No official explanation was provided by the certification board, the Times of India reported.

Article 370 features Yami Gautam as a committed intelligence officer named Zooni Haksar. The film revolves around the removal of the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir by the central government. Under Article 370, Jammu and Kashmir had the autonomy to have its own constitution and flag, while Article 35A restricted non-residents from purchasing land or securing government jobs within the state (now designated as a Union Territory). It was revoked by the Centre in 2019. The film is set in the valley and is inspired by true events.

It minted Rs 6.12 crore on its opening day at the domestic box office and has collected more than Rs 25 crore so far, News 18 reported.

Speaking about why Article 370 is an important film, Yami Gautam said, "This film has taken a very important chapter of our political history, which has impacted some important national events, and offers a peek into our history and how that affects our present. What happened? What is Article 370? Why was it necessary for the Government to do what they did?"

"In 2019, when this was announced, it felt very personal to a majority of Indians, and they felt good. At least people I know didn’t have anything else to say, other than it was about time. This is a commercial film and we have had to compress crucial events into a two-hour film. Obviously, this was not easy. We had to understand the importance of so many things, but how do you simplify it, put it chronologically and present it cinematically? So, from both these aspects, I think it's a very important film."

Read more: Article 370 review: Yami Gautam is terrific in rousing but overlong political thriller