Bollywood celebrities including filmmaker Karan Johar and actor Suresh Oberoi on Sunday expressed their anguish over calls to make Pakistani stars leave India, saying a ban is not a solution to terrorism.
Johar said he was deeply affected by the deaths of 18 soldiers in the recent Uri terror attack. In the wake of the attack, the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, a right-wing political party, asked Pakistani actors to leave India immediately, failing which the shooting of their movies would be stalled.
The party even issued an open letter questioning producers over their decision to cast Pakistani actors in their films.
Pakistani actor Fawad Khan stars in Johar’s upcoming directorial venture Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.
“I understand the anger and the anguish that surround us and I empathise. 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 a ban on Pakistani artists]. If this was truly a solution, one would take it,” the director told a news channel.
“But this is not a solution. I don’t believe it is. The larger forces have to come together and sort the situation and this cannot be banning talent or art,” he added.
Oberoi said artists should not be treated like terrorists.
“Pakistani artists are also artists not terrorists. What is their fault in all this?” Oberoi said.
Before Johar and Oberoi spoke up, director Hansal Mehta had 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.”
Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt said actors should not be dragged into politics.
“We should concentrate on making sure that Pakistan is declared a terrorist state. That should be our effort. This 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,” Bhatt said.
Film critic Mayank Shekhar also criticised MNS saying culture is apolitical and political groups should not spread fear.
Meanwhile, comedian Raju Srivastava cancelled his upcoming show in Karachi over the attacks.
“I was invited to do a comedy show in Pakistan but every day we see that our soldiers are getting killed at the border. In this situation how can I go and make people laugh there?”
“I don’t want to go to Pakistan. Our country is good. Here we have brotherhood, respect and love. We are happy here. I won’t go to Pakistan to do the show,” he wrote on Twitter.
Actress Dipika Kakar, known for acting in Sasural Simar Ka, says banning Pakistani artists is “a really sad” move.
“I think there should be no rules and regulations when it comes to entertainment section,” Kakar said.
“There have been problems when people were banned to come here and work and vice versa... It is really sad,” the actress added.
