'Zero Dark Thirty' unofficially banned in Pakistan

"Very Zero, Very Dark” reads one Pakistani film review.

"Zero IQ Thirty” another headline screams.

But just like Osama Bin Laden, the subject of the Oscar contender that recreates the most expensive manhunt in history, \"Zero Dark Thirty\" is not supposed to be in Pakistan.

The film has not been released, officially. Thus, there is no response, officially, from Pakistani govement censors to Kathryn Bigelow's controversial depiction of Pakistan. Therefore, technically, no one in Pakistan is supposed to have ever seen the movie.

But in reality, \"Zero Dark Thirty\" is being watched, noticed, slammed and unofficially banned, even while trending on Twitter.

Some of the backlash in the mainstream press here was balanced.

"Though sharp in its production and direction and largely accurate in depicting the events that led to the death of Osama Bin Laden,” wrote respected columnist, Nadeem Farooq Paracha, in Dawn newspaper. "It went ballistic bad in depicting everyday life on the streets of Pakistan.”

Paracha says that the movie may be designed to embarrass Pakistan, its people, its military and even its distinct culture.  Or it might be simply a victim of sloppy research, he mused.

The joualist lists what he believes are the films goofs: The Pakistanis sound like an Indianized Arabic speakers (they are not). They eat hummus (which Pakistanis largely don"t). A character in the movie claims that nobody in Pakistan drives SUVs (people love their SUVs here).

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