Actor and director Nandita Das is in Karachi from India for the first Pakistan International Film Festival (PIFF) that will run till April 1. Nandita Das is visiting Pakistan after nine years and was also present on Thursday at the premiere of Cake. With the ban on Pakistani artists working in Bollywood for quite some time now, Nandita in a recent interview dismissed the ban and stated, “There should be no restrictions on borders.” She further went on to say, “I am in Pakistan to break these barriers. We are neighbours, friends and share similar food, language and culture so it’s bizarre that restrictions are placed on us visiting the other country or viewing their works.”
The filmmaker, who visited Pakistan last during the Kara Film Festival in 2009, is currently directing a film on author Manto. According to Nandita, Manto is both Pakistani and Indian and a “true South Asian.” She added, “I would love to bring Manto to Pakistan because he is also from here.”
Apart from Nandita Das, other Indian filmmakers and artists who are a part of the PIFF include actor Vinay Pathak, director/producer Saket Chaudhry and director and screenwriter SS Rajamouli, whose film Baahubali is being screened at the festival.
