Johar says he will not feature Pakistani artists in his future films.
The controversy surrounding Pakistani artists has been lingering around Bollywood ever since the attack on a military camp in Uri by terrorists from Pakistan. Several individuals and organizations raised the demand to boycott and send back Pakistani artists.
Some actors and filmmakers too extended their support to Pakistani artists saying arts and cinema must not be a way of protest.
Now, the discussions based on the Pakistani artists have taken a new turn with a group of celebrities coming up endorsing national sentiments and supporting the views of those suggesting boycotting Pakistani artists.
Filmmaker Karan Johar, whose directorial venture Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is facing a ban due to the presence of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, finally broke his silence on the issue. In a video posted online, Johar said he would not work with Pakistani artists in the future.
“For me, my country comes first and nothing else matters to me but my country. I have always felt that the best way to express your patriotism is by spreading love and that is all I have ever tried to do through my work and through my cinema,” said Johar.
“Going forward I would like to say that of course, I will not engage with talent from the neighboring country given the circumstance,” he added.
The director went on to say that it was not fair to undermine the efforts of Indian people in their crew who put their blood and sweat into Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.
“But with that same energy, I beseech you to know one thing. That over 300 Indian people in my crew have put their blood, sweat, and tears into my film ADHM and I don’t think it is fair to them to face any kind of turbulence out of another fellow Indians,” said the actor-director.
Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir joined the group and came down heavily on the supporters of Pakistani actors. In an interview with India Today, Gambhir said he was “shocked that Bollywood is saying that cricket and movies should be kept ahead of national sentiments.”
“I want to ask those supporting Pakistani artists if they would have done the same if any of their family members would have died,” he added.
“National interest is above anything else. Just because you sit in an air-conditioned room, you can say you shouldn’t relate cricket and movies to politics. Ask anyone who has lost a family member to terror attacks and you will get your answer. There should be no cricket and Bollywood ties with Pakistan till Pakistan stops cross-border terrorism,” said Gambhir.
Industrialist Mukesh Ambani was another prominent personality to show his support to the nation.
“I am absolutely clear about one thing – that for me it is always country first. I am not an intellectual so I don’t understand all these… But undoubtedly like for all Indians, India is first for me,” said Ambani in an interview to NDTV.
On Monday, some theater owners declared that they would not screen the films featuring Pakistani artists. The ban is not likely to affect Ae Dil Hai Mushkil which is slated to release on October 28.