Ajay Devgn's Singham Again banned in Saudi Arabia on religious grounds; Kartik Aaryan's Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 portrays homosexuality

Bollywood is gearing up for the biggest clash of the year, Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 which will be released on November 1, 2024. The battle of two titans will see which film fare well at the box office. Both the films are coming with their part three and the franchises are extremely successful and popular. Singham Again stars Ajay Devgn, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Paudkone, Akshay Kumar and others. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 stars Kartik Aaryan, return of Vidya Balan, the OG Manjulika. But both the films have landed in trouble. The bookings of both films are high, however, the films won't be released in Saudi Arabia.

Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 have been banned in Saudi Arabia, find out why.

As per a report by Pinkvilla, Rohit Shetty and Anees Bazmee's films have been banned due to religious conflicts and homosexual references respectively.

The report mentioned Rohit Shetty's directorial is halted in the Arab nation over showcasing a 'religious conflict'. It is said that Singham Again has been banned because of the Hindu-Muslim conflict in the film.

Kartik Aaryan's character in Anees Bazmee's directorial has references to homosexuality which has resulted in its ban by the Saudi government.

The trailer of Shetty's film Singham Again, inspired by the Hindu epic Ramayan, was unveiled on October 7, 2024. Two days later, on October 9, the makers of Kartik Aaryan's horror comedy released its trailer on YouTube.

About the instalments

Singham Again is the fifth instalment of Rohit Shetty's Cop Universe franchise and a sequel to Singham Returns (2014). Ajay Devgn is reprising his role as DCP Bajirao Singham, a cop, Kareena Kapoor is cast as his on-screen wife, Avni Kamat, who gets kidnapped by Arjun Kapoor's character Danger Lanka.

Film screens allotted

Both films, set for release on November 1, will be showcased on over 6,000 screens in cinemas nationwide during the Diwali weekend. Singham Again, part of Rohit Shetty's Cop Universe, has secured 60% of the screens in most territories, leaving 40% for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3.

Trade experts

Trade experts predict that Singham Again will open in the ₹40-45 crore range, while Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 could earn around ₹20-25 crore on day one.

Ashish Kanakia, CEO of MovieMax Cinema, told PTI, "Both films cater to large, loyal fanbases and bring unique flavours to the screen, which should attract diverse audience segments. We're optimistic this could be a turning point for the exhibition sector, helping recover some of this year's losses. Blockbuster releases around festivals have historically brought audiences back in large numbers, and w