Rishi Kapoor says ban on Pakistani artists unfair, slams Modi

MUMBAI: Bollywood superstar Rishi Kapoor has come out in favour of Pakistani artists and slammed the decision to ban them from Indian movies.

If his Twitter profile is anything to go by, Rishi Kapoor is not one to back down or bite his tongue for anybody. The veteran Bollywood actor recently spoke out in favour of Pakistani artists when he said that banning them was unfair. He said that there should be a cut-off date for such diktats and that the government should not confuse its own people by first promoting friendship with Pakistan and then banning their artists.

"Sometimes some skirmish happens in the border and your whole thinking goes wrong. Sometimes you shake hands and say go ahead. You’re confusing your country, people," he said. "Either you shake hands or don’t shake hands. Why does Modi have to go to Pakistan and shake hands when you know skirmishes will happen," he said, referring to Modi's surprise visit to Lahore in late 2015 to attend PM Nawaz's granddaughter's wedding.

Rishi Kapoor, who has worked with Pakistani superstar Fawad Khan in the 2016 family-drama hit Kapoor and Sons, said that it was unfair to ban films since they took time to make.

"Films are not planned in one or three days. It takes time. You can’t say that you’re going to ban a picture," he said. "You’ve been working for the last six months. These are unfair rulings and bullying tactics. You must give a cut-off period. It gives us time to finish our films and henceforth we will not take them."

After the violence escalated in occupied Kashmir and the Uri attack took place in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed, tensions flared between India and Pakistan. Cross-border took place almost on a daily basis. It was during these days that the Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA) announced a ban on Pakistani artists.