Published Jun 06, 2024 | 2:07 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 06, 2024 | 2:07 PM
'Little Hearts' has been banned in GCC countries. (X)
Shane Nigam and Mahima Nambiar’s Little Hearts is facing a roadblock in the GCC countries as the government imposed a ban on its screening.
The news came as a shocker to the makers on Thursday, 6 June. Interestingly, the Malayalam movie is gearing up for a worldwide release on 7 June.
Little Hearts producer Sandra Thomas, in her Instagram post, shared the news about the ban with a heavy heart.
The producer stated that the news “comes as a huge disappointment as we put our heart and soul into making this film”.
Sandra Thomas said the reason for the ban “cannot be disclosed at this time”, while adding, “Some mysterious element in the film led to the ban.”
However, the producer requested the audience to wait patiently and also tendered an apology to the Malayali audience in the GCC countries.
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Meanwhile, an industry insider, who wished not to be named, told South First that Little Hearts is facing a ban in the GCC countries since it talks about homosexuality.
Sandra Thomas, Shane Nigam, and Mahima Nambiar travelled to Dubai last week to promote their film.
Little Hearts is directed by Anto Jose Periera and Aby Aby Treesa Paul.
It also features Shine Tom Chacko and Baburaj in key roles.
It is produced under the banner of Sandra Thomas Productions.
Kailas Menon composed the music.
Sensitive content gets a red signal from the censor board in GCC countries.
Earlier this year, Prithviraj Sukumaran’s blockbuster movie Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life) initially got censor certification only in the UAE. Later, other countries like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia gave it a green light.
The novel “Aadujeevitham“, which was adapted to the big screen by director Blessy, has been banned in the Gulf nations.
Similarly, Mammootty-Jyothika’s Kaathal-The Core (2023) was banned in Qatar and Kuwait as it dealt with homosexual content.
Mohanlal’s Monster (2022) also was banned in several Gulf countries because of its pro-LGBTQ scenes. However, the film was allowed for screening in Bahrain only after the makers trimmed 13 minutes of the content.
