UAE bans 'God Tussi Great Ho'
Dubai, August 18, 2008 (IANS)

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have ordered the Salman Khan-starrer Bollywood film "God Tussi Great Ho" off screens in this Gulf nation following complaints that it violated Islamic teachings. The National Media Council ordered that the movie, released in India and here Friday, not be screened in the UAE after receiving scores of complaints from viewers, the Gulf News reported.

The movie also stars Priyanka Chopra and Amitabh Bachchan, and is considered a remake of the 2003 Hollywood production "Bruce Almighty" starring Jim Carrey. In the film, Bachchan plays the role of god as he meets Salman's character Arun Prajapati who blames god for all his problems. "Those who saw the movie told the authorities they were shocked to find that Bachchan played the role of 'god'," the Gulf News report said.

Kuwait too orders 'God Tussi Great Ho' off screens
Dubai, August 21, 2008 (IANS)

The Gulf nation of Kuwait has followed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in banning the new Salman Khan-starrer "God Tussi Great Ho" for violating Islamic teachings. Kuwait's information ministry banned the film soon after it was released Aug 15, the Arab Times reported.

Earlier, UAE's National Media Council (NMC) had also ordered the movie off screens after receiving complaints from viewers. "Those who saw the movie told the authorities they were shocked to find that Bachchan played the role of 'god'," media reports here said.

Adil Al Marzouki, mufti at Dubai Islamic Affair and Charitable Activities, said the film violated Islamic teachings. "Such films should not be released anywhere in the world because they are not only against Islamic teachings, but are against the teachings of all heavenly religions," the mufti told the Khaleej Times.

The NMC has, however, said that the decision on banning the film would be reviewed. The Khaleej Times quoted a source at the NMC as saying that the council would arrive at a final decision before the end of this week on whether to ban the film completely in the UAE, or to allow its screening again after censoring the objectionable portions.

Meanwhile, the Kuwait National Cinema Company (KNCC) said it was receiving many calls after the movie was banned. "We received a lot of calls from cine-goers as to why the film was not being screened in Kuwait," an official at KNCC told the Arab Times.