Amid tension in the wake of Uri terror attack, the MNS on Friday asked Pakistani artistes like Fawad Khan to leave immediately, failing which their shootings will be stalled.Shalini, who is the general secretary of MNS, told PTI that their Chitrapat wing has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to all the Pakistani actors to leave the country.
Top actors such as Fawad Khan, Ali Zafar, Mahira Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Imran Abbas and Mawra Hocane are among a host of Pakistani artistes who have made India their home away from home. Fawad, in particular, has a number of big-ticket Bollywood projects in hand.
Commenting on the development, Dharma Productions, which has produced “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil”, said it has to understand what the issue is about.
“We have not come across anything yet. If there is an issue, we need to understand the matter first, so we cannot comment anything,” an official from Dharma Productions said.
The calls and messages to the makers of “Raees” did not elicit any response.
BOLLYWOOD OPPOSES MNS
Taking a jibe at MNS, director Hansal Mehta tweeted, “MNS for next central govt. In one master stroke they have solved the India Pakistan problem. After all it is artistes who provoke attacks.”
Vikram Bhatt said India should push for declaring Pakistan as a terrorist state than involving actors into the situation because that will “trivialise” the issue.
“We should concentrate on making sure that Pakistan is declared a terrorist state. That should be our effort. This (asking Pak actors to leave) is like trivialising the issue– whether artists or cricket should be allowed nor not… “How does that matter? What matters is that people are dying, we have been constantly suffering… And the only thing we do is ban artists!” he said.
When asked if he thinks Pakistani artistes, working here, should take a stand on the Uri attack, Bhatt said, “I expect them to take a stand but can they do that? They are actors, creative people, not activists.
“I don’t think they can go back if they are going to talk against the terrorist outfits in Pakistan. They would surely fear for their lives, might as well become Indian citizens then. I think they would really fear for their safety.”
Film critic Mayank Shekhar said culture is apolitical and when government of India has given permission to Pakistani actors to work here, any other political outfit should not “spread fear” among people.
“Something which is cultural is by nature apolitical. But if it does become political as in this particular case, then that is the political decision that the authorities need to take. It can’t be any particular outfit deciding to issue a diktat and everyone living under the fear of what they would do or would not do,” he told a news channel.
Mumbai police has, however, given an assurance to the actors not to worry.
“All foreign nationals who land in the country with valid documents issued by the Government of India and the Government of Maharashtra need not worry,” Joint Commissioner of Police (law and order), Mumbai, Deven Bharti told PTI.
Bharti also said that police will give proper protection to them as and when required.
