Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra on Sunday weighed in on the cultural boycott of Pakistani actors in Hindi cinema.
Last Thursday, the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association banned Pakistani actors from working in Bollywood and a right-wing nationalist outfit also demanded that the Pakistani actors leave India due to the rising military tension between the two nations.
“If you really ask me, whenever there is no deeper political understanding between cultures, nations and [among] various groups there will be fall outs. Unfortunately, those fall outs are felt by artists who really try to bring people together,” said Mehra, who was in the UAE to promote his grand romance Mirzya.
Asked if it was an unfair move, the director maintained that it was difficult to comment on the issue in a couple of sentences and that such an important issue called for a longer chat. Pakistani actors such as Fawad Khan, who will soon be seen in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, and Mahira Khan, of Raees, are a few names who are likely to be affected by this ban.
Understandably, Mehra’s focus on Sunday afternoon was entirely on his pet project and his discoveries Harshvardhan Kapoor and Saiyami Kher, the stars of his dream love story. Like a true mentor, he shepherded them during the press conference, and during its filming by holding extensive acting workshops and brainstorming sessions.
Anil Kapoor’s son and Tanvi Azmi’s niece play star-crossed lovers who rebel and fight against the world to be together. The actors worked for 18 months on their debut feature and learned new skills such as horse riding to nail their parts.
“Mirzya is about love. Whatever age, country or profession we are in, the emotion of love always touches us. Love is an emotion that you cannot explain, the moment you try to explain it loses its magic and meaning. As a director, I have always want to tell a love story,” said Mehra.
Mirzya, filmed extensively in Ladakh and Rajasthan, will release in the UAE on October 6. Read the full interview in tabloid! soon.
