It’s not too often that a film gets banned from screening in certain countries but it’s still not unheard of. In fact, that’s the case for the film that is currently the fourth most popular movie on all of Paramount+ according to stats from FlixPatrol.
The Dictator was banned in several countries including Belarus, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. It also faced a large amount of censorship to be able to air in countries like Uzbekistan and Pakistan. There was even speculation that it was being blocked from airing in theaters in Malaysia.
The film features Sacha Baron Cohen transforming into an outrageous character as he’s well known for. This time, he plays Admiral-General Haffaz Aladeen, an outrageous parody of a dictator who is kidnapped and replaced by a body-double. He swears to, “to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed” according to the movie’s synopsis.
The film was so controversial that there were even rumors that Sacha Baron Cohen would be banned from the Academy Awards but it turns out they weren’t true. “We haven’t banned him,” an Academy spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter. “We’re just waiting to hear what he’s going to do.”
If you want to see The Dictator for yourself, it’s available to stream now on Paramount+.