Mumbai: Faced with the prospect of the stalling of release of his film 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil', filmmaker Karan Johar today said he was proud of the Indian Army and would not work with Pakistani actors in the near future, but at the same time, he urged that the release of his film should be allowed as it involved the 'blood and toil' of hundreds of people.
Breaking his silence on the issue of demand for ban on Pakistani actors, Johar said he was silent as he was deeply hurt for being branded as 'anti-national'.'I have been deeply hurt over allegations of being 'anti-national'.I want to say that when I began shooting for ‘Ae Dil Hae Mushkil’, an atmosphere of friendship and bonhomie prevailed between the two countries.
It is in this atmosphere that I began working on my film.
There were efforts made by our Government for peaceful relationships with the neighbouring country and I respected those efforts, then,' he said.While supporting the stand of filmmakers not working with Pakistani actors, Karan, however, appealed that the release of Ae Dil Hae Mushkil be allowed as it involves the blood and toil of several hundreds of its cast and crew members.
'I respect the sentiment today.
I am proud of the Indian Army for protecting our borders.For me, my country comes first, nothing else matters to me, but my country.I understand the sentiment because I feel the same.
'I'd like to say that of course I'll not engage with talent from the neighbouring country given the circumstance.
But with the same energy, I beseech you to know that over 300 Indian people in my crew have put their blood, sweat and tears into ADHM.I don't think it's fair to them to face any kind of turbulence on account of other fellow Indians,' Karan said.
The filmmaker said he had always felt that the best way to express one’s patriotism was to spread love and that was what he had tried to do through his work.'The best way to express your patriotism is to spread love and thats all I have ever tried to do through my work and cinema,' Karan said.
This is the first time that the filmmaker has spoken out since the decision of the exhibitors not to screen films featuring Pakistani actors in their theatres, a decision that has put a question mark on the release of Johar's Ae Dil Hae Mushkil and the Shahrukh Khan-starrer 'Raaes'. (UNI)