evidence: "Pathaan" was in the eye of a storm in December 2022, when members of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party took objection to a song in the film and the film was subsequently censored. However, in recent days the film indirectly received a boost when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told party workers not to make "unnecessary comments" about movies. The Bollywood theatrical business, which took a beating in 2022 with a spate of flops, has also received a boost with 25 single-screen cinemas across northern and western India that had shut down due to the impact of COVID-19, reopening to screen "Pathaan." [...] Nelson D’Souza, VP, international distribution, at Yash Raj Films, added: "We are very bullish about ‘Pathaan’ and what it can collect from the overseas territories. It should be able to bring the cheer back in the theatrical distribution business at the start of the year."