Actor Fawad Khan, who is facing the heat caused by renewed friction between India and Pakistan since the Uri terror attack, might not attend the promotion events of his upcoming Bollywood film, Ae Dil Hei Mushkil, in India. According to an Indian Express report, Fawad left India in July to be with his wife Sadaf who is pregnant with their second child.
The Pakistani actor plays one of the lead roles in the film directed by Karan Johar under his banner, Dharma Productions.
“Karan Johar had planned the promotional activity of his movie by drawing in Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, and Fawad Khan. The actor was supposed to join in for a week’s time before flying back to be with his wife. But given the political call for his ban, it looks impossible. In any case, there was little window available to have Fawad in Mumbai because his wife is expecting their second child,” the Indian Express quoted a source.
Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS), a right-wing Hindu organisation, has called for a ban on Ae Dil Hei Mushkil, unless Fawad’s scenes were deleted. On Tuesday, the party staged a protest in front of director Karan Johar’s office and residence, over this. However, Karan Johar, in an NDTV interview, refused to yield to such political pressure. “I understand the anger and the anguish that surround us and I empathize, my heart bleeds for the lost lives. There is nothing that can justify this terrible feeling of terror. Then you are faced in a situation such as this (asking for ban on Pakistani artists). If this was truly a solution, then one would take it,” Karan Johar told journalist Barkha Dutt.
Read: Leave The Creative Industry Alone – Karan Johar tells political parties
MNS had also given an ultimatum for all Pakistani artists working in India to leave the country by 25 September. “It is not a veiled threat. It’s a direct threat to producers like Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar who take Pakistani actors in their movies. Can’t you find Indian actors for your films? In this 125 crores Indian population, can’t you find a single Indian actor to cast in your films that you import people from a place like Pakistan, a country with which we all are facing a problem? It’s not a veiled threat but a direct threat. We will not allow the release of these movies here,” said Shalini Thackeray, General Secretary of MNS Chitrapat Karamchari Sena, in a public statement.
Feature Image Credit: Tribune.pk
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