With increasing tension between India and Pakistan, the one contingent surely suffering as a result of this are members of the artist community. All eyes are currently on Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Karan Johar’s saga of unrequited love which features Fawad Khan alongside an all-star cast. Maharashtra Navnirman Chitrapat Karmachari Sena,
With increasing tension between India and Pakistan, the one contingent surely suffering as a result of this are members of the artist community. All eyes are currently on Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Karan Johar’s saga of unrequited love which features Fawad Khan alongside an all-star cast. Maharashtra Navnirman Chitrapat Karmachari Sena, film wing of the Raj Thackeray-led MNS is threatening to stall the release of this film unless of course director and producer Karan Johar chops off any and all scenes featuring the Pakistani superstar. The same MNS has also issued an ultimatum to Pakistani artists to leave India in 48 hours or face violence.
Though many in India are choosing to stay quiet on the subject, the Khans remain an exception. After Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan endorsed Pakistani actors and cross border collaborations, its Sultan of Bollywood, Salman Khan who has, in a surprising twist of fate, thrown his weight behind Pakistani artists.
While the story of Salman Khan calling Raj Thackeray has been refuted by the MNS, Salman Khan, in a recent press conference, addressed this controversy head-on.
“They (Pakistani actors) are artists, not terrorists. It’s the government who gives them permits and visas,” said Khan according to a report in Times of India.
And while Shah Rukh Khan, Saif and now Salman are echoing for civility when it comes to the artist community, it may already be too late. According to multiple reports, the Mumbai-based Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) has “passed a resolution to ban Pakistani actors from the industry” in the aftermath of the Uri attack. Bollywood diva
