'Zero Dark Thirty' ban

According to NBC and a variety of other sources, the controversial motion picture about the hunt and murder of Osama bin Laden – “Zero Dark Thirty” – has been unofficially banned from viewing in Pakistan.

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The movie which has been nominated for best movie of the year in this Sunday’s Academy Awards-Oscar presentations is Oscar-winning movie director Kathryn Bigelow’s extremely controversial portrayal of what became the most expensive search for a human being in history.

The ban, however, is not an official ban by the Pakistani government because the motion picture has not been officially released in that country. Therefore, logically, there is no one in the country of Pakistan who should have actually seen it – but persons have, according to reports and up-to-date messages posted on Twitter which have been extremely critical of the movie.

Some critics in Pakistan are saying that the movie embarrasses Pakistan, its people, its military, and its distinct culture. However, not all Pakistani critics are totally criticizing the movie. Some are complimenting the film production for its accuracy in portraying the Osama bin Laden story, but they are very critical of the way everyday life on the streets of Pakistan has been portrayed.

Specific criticisms include comments which assert that the Pakistanis in the film sound "Indianized" in their Arabic speak which is an inaccurate portrayal. Also, it was noted that Pakistanis are eating hummus in the film and they rarely do. Finally, it was noted that one character in the film says that nobody in Pakistan drives SUVs which is now said to be very untrue.

Of concern to the movie industry is that the movie has been widely pirated via the DVD market in the country.