Latest news with #Faasle
Express Tribune
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Spotify India, OTT platforms pull Pakistani music after Indian government ban
The directive's impact is not limited to audio content. Pakistani actors are now being digitally erased from promotional material on Indian platforms. PHOTO: PEXELS Listen to article Pakistani music has started vanishing from Indian streaming platforms, with Spotify among the first to act on a government advisory issued earlier this month. Tracks such as Maand, Jhol, and Faasle disappeared from Spotify India in the hours following the order, according to NDTV. The move, which began taking effect on Wednesday night, follows an official directive from India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on 8 May, calling for the removal of all Pakistani content from digital media. The advisory, issued under India's Information Technology Rules, urged all OTT platforms, digital streaming services, and online intermediaries to take down Pakistani-origin web series, films, songs, podcasts, and other media. The ministry cited national security, sovereignty, and public order as grounds for the sweeping content ban. The crackdown comes amid tensions between India and Pakistan following a deadly attack in Pahalgam, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad has rejected the allegation, calling for an impartial investigation. Although both sides have since agreed to a ceasefire, the ban remains in place. The directive's impact is not limited to audio content. Pakistani actors are now being digitally erased from promotional material on Indian platforms. Actress Mawra Hocane has been removed from the cover art of Sanam Teri Kasam on Spotify and YouTube Music, leaving only her Indian co-star Harshvardhan Rane. Similarly, Mahira Khan has disappeared from Raees' posters, while the song Buddhu Sa Mann from Kapoor & Sons, which featured Fawad Khan, is now inaccessible to Indian users. This marks one of the most far-reaching cultural crackdowns in the region's recent history. While political tensions have often strained artistic ties between the neighbours, the shared musical heritage—spanning genres like ghazals, qawwalis, and contemporary pop—had until now largely remained intact. Pakistani icons such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, Nazia Hassan, and Atif Aslam have historically enjoyed immense popularity across India, their work forming a vital part of the country's musical landscape. Ironically, critics point out that even as Pakistani originals are scrubbed from platforms, Bollywood continues to churn out remakes of many of these very songs—raising questions about cultural ownership and censorship in an era of digital media.
India Today
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Pakistani songs pulled down from Spotify after Indian government advisory
On Wednesday, May 14, Pakistani songs were taken down from Spotify in response to a government advisory. Popular tracks like 'Maand', 'Jhol', 'Faasle', and others are no longer available on the May 8, the Government of India issued an advisory instructing all OTT platforms, media streaming services, and digital intermediaries to remove web series, films, songs, podcasts, and other media content originating from advisory was issued under Part II of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. It reminded publishers and intermediaries of their responsibility to ensure that hosted or streamed content does not compromise India's sovereignty, integrity, national security, or public ministry highlighted that numerous terror attacks in India have had cross-border connections involving both state and non-state actors from Pakistan. Citing the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which claimed the lives of several Indian citizens and one Nepali national, the government emphasised that the advisory was issued in the interest of safeguarding national security."OTT platforms, media streaming platforms, and intermediaries operating in India are advised to discontinue the web series, films, songs, podcasts and other streaming media content, whether made available on a subscription-based model or otherwise, having their origins in Pakistan with immediate effect," the advisory Pakistani actors Mawra Hocane and Mahira Khan's images were removed from the posters for their films 'Sanam Teri Kasam' and 'Raees'.
NDTV
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
All Pakistani Songs Removed From Spotify After Government Advisory
New Delhi: Pakistani songs were removed from Spotify on Wednesday night following a government advisory. Popular tracks such as Maand, Jhol, Faasle and others have disappeared from the platform. The move comes in the wake of Operation Sindoor and the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam. On May 8, the Government of India issued an advisory directing all OTT platforms, media streaming services and digital intermediaries to discontinue web series, films, songs, podcasts and other media content originating from Pakistan. The advisory was issued under Part II of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. It reminds publishers and intermediaries of their obligation to "ensure that content hosted or streamed does not threaten India's sovereignty, integrity, national security, or public order." The Ministry noted that several terrorist attacks in India have had cross-border links with state and non-state actors in Pakistan. Citing the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which led to the deaths of several Indian citizens and one Nepali national, the government stated that the advisory is being issued in the interest of national security. The Code of Ethics under the IT Rules states that "publishers must exercise due caution and discretion while publishing any content that could affect India's sovereignty, security, public order, or friendly relations with foreign countries." "OTT platforms, media streaming platforms and intermediaries operating in India are advised to discontinue the web-series, films, songs, podcasts and other streaming media content, whether made available on a subscription-based model or otherwise, having their origins in Pakistan with immediate effect," the advisory read. In line with this, changes were also noticed across various music platforms. Pakistani actors have been removed from the posters of their Hindi films. On Monday, Mawra Hocane's image was missing from the Sanam Teri Kasam album covers on Spotify and YouTube Music, with only Harshvardhan Rane appearing in the artwork. A similar edit was made to the album cover of Shah Rukh Khan's Raees, where Mahira Khan's image was removed. The updated poster now shows Shah Rukh Khan alone. The song Buddhu Sa Mann from Kapoor & Sons, which featured Fawad Khan along with Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt, is currently unavailable on YouTube in India. The message displayed says, "Video unavailable. The uploader has not made this video available in your country." The song was posted by Sony Music India, and its poster on music apps has also been altered to remove Fawad Khan. Responding to the changes, Sanam Teri Kasam producer Deepak Mukut told Hindustan Times, "They didn't ask me, it's their decision. Whatever our government says, everyone has to follow."
