MUMBAI: Rahul Dholakia’s Lamhaa, which is being released by PVR Pictures on 16 July, has been banned by the Censor Board in the UAE for "objectionable content."

The movie is produced by GS Entertainment and stars Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha Basu, Shenaz Patel, Yashpal Sharma, Vipin Sharma, Kunal Kapoor and Aman Verma amongst others.

Speaking to Businessofcinema.com, PVR Pictures CEO Kamal Gianchandani says, "We are all set for the release of Lamhaa this Friday. However, we are facing some issues from the UAE Censor Board as they have banned the release of the film due to objectionable content. We have gone them with our request asking them to reconsider their decision and also agreed to making cuts in the film but they found the entire content of the movie objectionable. We are awaiting the certificate from them tomorrow."

Actor Sajay Dutt wrote on Twitter, "First the premiere of Lamhaa was not allowed in Kashmir.. Now the Middle East puts a ban on the release of the film in their countries."

Bipasha Basu added on Twitter, "Ban on an honest film?? What happened to the freedom of expression?? The Middle East has banned our film Lamhaa and sadly the people of Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain and Oman will not be able to watch it."

Dholakia won the National Award for his debut film Parzania, which was based on the Gujarat riots. His second film Lamhaa is based in Kashmir and showcases how the area has become a playground for blood thirsty militants. The movie exposes the dirty secrets of a state’s fight for freedom, the corrupt nexus of politicians, intelligence, militancy and the crucification of idealistic and passionate people.