Pakistan's censor board has not cleared Bollywood star Aamir Khan's production Delhi Belly, forcing exhibitors and cinema hall owners to put off plans to release the movie later this week. Atrium Cinema, a leading cineplex of Karachi, said in a message posted yesterday on its Facebook page: "It has just been notified by the distributors of film Delhi Belly that Central Board of Film Censors, Islamabad, have not passed the film for public exhibition. Thus, the film will not be released in cinemas in Pakistan."

Exhibitors were planning to release the film, which stars Imran Khan, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Poorna Jagannathan, Vir Das and Shenaz Treasurywala, on Friday.

The censor board could not immediately be reached for comment. The reasons for the film not being cleared for exhibition could not immediately be ascertained.

Last year, the censor board had banned the exhibition of Tere Bin Laden, which was the film debut of singer Ali Zafar, due to concerns that the depiction of the slain Al Qaida could trigger terror attacks on cinema halls.