The Singapore government on Monday banned the screening of The Kashmir Files on grounds of causing friction between communities and disrupting religious harmony in the country. In a statement released by Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority along with the Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth and the Ministry of Home Affairs, the authorities said that the film will be refused classification for its provocative and one-sided portrayal of Muslims and the depictions of Hindus being persecuted in the ongoing conflict in Kashmir.

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The statement further added that certain scenes in the film have the potential to cause enmity between different communities and disrupt social cohesion and religious harmony in Singapore's multiracial and multi-religious society.

To this, the director clapped back aggressively. In typical 'Tharoor style', he called the MP "fopdoodle" (stupid) and "gnashnab" (one who complains all the time). He further added, "Singapore is the most regressive censor in the world. It even banned The Last Temptations of Jesus Christ (ask your madam). Even a romantic film called #TheLeelaHotelFiles will be banned."

The film made on a low budget went on to collect the record-breaking numbers at the box office globally. The film narrated the story of the exodus of Kashmiri pandits during a separatist militant insurgency. Written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri, the exodus drama also features Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumaar, Pallavi Joshi, and Chinmay Mandlekar in pivotal roles. Initially, the film was released on over 630 screens in India but due to popular demand, it was later increased to 4,000 screens. It went on to collect a whopping Rs 300 crores at the box office. Endorsed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the film was recently premiered in Israel with subtitles in Hebrew.

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