The Academy Award contender Zero Dark Thirty has not been officially released in Pakistan due to its "controversial" depiction of the country as it portrays the story of one of the most talked about manhunts in history, according to NBC News.

The film is not shown in theaters and so therefore there has been no official response from Pakistani government censors about the Kathryn Bigelow-directed picture. However, the film has been seen somehow by many since it was slammed by local newspapers and mainstream press in the area.

One Pakistani film review read "Very Zero, Very Dark" while another headline was "Zero IQ Thirty," according to the news report.

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

Farooq was shocked that the Hollywood production team behind the film got so many facts wrong.

"How can you make a Hollywood blockbuster, put in so much money and get simple things wrong? Instead of the film being taken seriously, it became a joke among Pakistanis," he added.

Mohsin Yaseen is general manager of the largest movie theater chain in Pakistan, according to The Inquisitr. He said he will not purchase Zero Dark Thirty for his cinemas, adding that the film's portrayal of Pakistan and its countrymen was a factor in his decision.

"As a local distributor, there was no financial viability for me. The film was already widely available in the [pirated] DVD market," he began. "But as a film buff, the movie was inaccurate about Pakistan. If you're going to say something about a complicated part of the world, then you should say it right."

The 85th Annual Academy Awards will air live on Sunday, Feb. 24. Zero Dark Thirty is nominated for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing and a Best Actress nod for Jessica Chastain.

Tags
The Oscars 2013, Oscars