Mumbai: Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan’s comeback to Bollywood with ‘Abir Gulaal’ has left the Indian film federation and film body heads disappointed.
So much so that they are planning to issue a non-cooperation diktat against actress Vaani Kapoor and the ‘Abir Gulaal’ makers for working with a Pakistani actor amid strained ties between the two countries.
Reacting to the Indian filmmakers’ decision of casting the Pakistani actor, Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association president Ashoke Pandit said, “We are still facing attacks by Pakistan. This is insensitive on the part of certain people in this industry. If they keep supporting Pakistanis, the federation will work out a system in which they will have to suffer a backlash. We can’t do anything legally, but we are contemplating action against the Indians and artistes who have worked on this film, including the heroine (actor Vaani Kapoor), by issuing a non-cooperation diktat.”
BN Tiwari, president of Federation of Western India Cine Employees, also expressed strong reservations.
“Fawad Khan se dushmani nahin hai, Pakistani artistes se hai. We strongly oppose this film, and if our artistes work with them, we will stop them. Now that this film has been shot, we will issue a letter to the Indians involved in the project,” Tiwari said.
Senior Fellow at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, Abhijit Iyer Mitra said, “You think the producers didn’t know that getting a Pakistani actor at this time will be problematic? They know what’s happening, they do it to stoke controversies.”
Retired Army officer Major Gaurav Arya expressed his unhappiness.
“There are strong objections from my side. There are terrorist activities happening in Jammu and Kashmir. In the past too, Pakistan has caused so much damage to India. The film industry does not see the morally wrong side of this. We should just be honest to our soldiers and say, ‘Your life doesn’t matter… We are fooling them when we make a film with Fawad Khan.”
Fawad, who was last seen in Karan Johar’s ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ in 2016, will be sharing screen space with Vaani in the rom-com ‘Abir Gulaal’ helmed by Aarti S. Bagdi.
Following the 2016 Uri attacks, Pakistani artistes were banned in India.
Despite the 2023 Bombay High Court ruling against a petition that aimed to ban Pakistani artistes from working in the country, the industry and some political bodies are against the return of Pakistan artists.
Earlier, when Vaani shared the teaser of the film on her social media handle, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief, Sandeep Deshpande had said, “Our stand is very clear. We will not entertain any movie that has Pakistani artistes. And if such a film is released, we will agitate the MNS way.”
Ameya Khopkar, a spokesperson for MNS, tweeted, “Humein aaj hi iss film ke release ki jaankari mili. Lekin hum saaf taur par yeh keh rahe hain ki hum iss film ko Maharashtra mein release nahin hone denge. (We came to know about the release of this film only today. We are making it very clear that we won’t allow this film to release in Maharashtra.)”
The film’s producer Vivek B Agrawal and Vaani’s team are yet to address the controversy.
Read more: Protests Erupt Over Release Of Pakistani Actor Fawad Khan’s ‘Abir Gulaal’ In Maharashtra
