Mumbai: The threat by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena to ban Pakistani artists from working in Indian films has evoked a mixed response from the Mumbai film industry.While majority of the industry supported the export of talent from the neighbouring country, a section of the silver screen welcomed the action by MNS.
Opposing the move, filmmaker Karan Johar, whose forthcoming movie 'Ae Dil Hail Mushkil' is under fire from MNS for featuring Pakistan actor Fawad Khan, says that banning the Pakistani artist was not an answer to terrorism."I understood and share the rage and anguish of people after the terror attack.But banning talent from Pakistan is not the solution to terrorism," the famed Director told a TV channel.Terming the artists as soft targets, Karan said "We are soft targets.Our decisions are creative why are we always targeted.We beseech you to please leave us alone".
The MNS earlier this week asked all Pakistani actors to leave India in 48 hours or face consequences, The MNS orders, backed by Shiv Sena, came after tension between India and Pakistan escalated to a new level after the killing of 18 Army personnel in a terror attack on an army base camp in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district.
Opposing the MNS move, Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput said politics and art should not interfere in each other's work."I think politics and art-culture should not interfere in each other's work," he said at an event yesterday.
Reacting to the MNS threat, scriptwriter Anjum Rajabali said, "there is nothing new in the MNS threat.The party is a known polarising force ,but we must know that our opposition is to the Pakistani establishment which sponsors terror, not their artistes who, like artists everywhere, unite hearts.Why should we throw the baby out with the bathwater. He said that it was the duty of the Indian government to ensure safety of Pakistani artists who are here on valid visas.
Director Mahesh Bhatt, who has given chance to Pakistani actors in many of his films, said the MNS threat was like a recurring nightmare."The only institution which can decide whether a Pakistani national can stay in India or not is the government of India.
Pakistani artists have legal documents and they don't pose threats to anyone," he said.
Singer Kailash Kher also opposed the MNS move.Kher, who has in the past held concerts in Pakistan, said 'banning or sending artists back to Pakistan won’t serve any purpose, unless they are provoking any unpleasant emotions.
Nobody belonging to the field of art is spreading hatred.' Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya, who has in the past openly shown resentment to Pakistani artists working in India, said 'Don’t call these Pakistani people artists.They are professionals, who make money in our country.
They don’t have any platform in their country, no studio, no production house, no glamour and no events.They are using our industry and they have nothing to offer us.Even a struggler won’t go to Pakistan to make his career.
'I think MNS should not threaten stars, but those people who invite them to work in India.
People like Bhatts and Johars are encouraging them.They are the dirtiest people in this industry.
Pakistani film industry is thriving on Bollywood's name.They have their head office in Mumbai,”Abhijeet said.
Comedian Raju Srivastava also extended his support to the call to ban Pakistani actors and artist to work in India and urged the film industry to hire Indian performers instead."If Pakistani actors won't work here, then our film industry would not shut down.They are the same actors or artists, who give their views on terrorist attack in France, but here prefer to be silent," he said.
He added that he was not against artists, but it was impossible to work with those people, whose country promotes terrorism."There are also many new artists in our country, who are not able to get those opportunities, we should give them the opportunity, not to that Pakistani," Srivastava.
said.Raju also cancelled his comedy show at Karachi in Pakistan, which was supposed to take place on December 25."We are artists and we cannot go to the border with guns, but can support our soldiers," he said. (UNI)
