Actor-producer Saif Ali Khan says he was expecting his forthcoming film Phantom, set in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, to be banned in Pakistan. But, he says, the film isn’t against the neighbouring country.
The counter-terrorism drama film, directed by Kabir Khan, whose Salman Khan-starring Bajrangi Bhaijaan was well-received in Pakistan, has been banned in the country reportedly by the Lahore High Court after a petition was filed by 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed.
Khan said that it was “expected”.
“Unfortunately, certain films that they [Pakistan] will make, we [India] will ban, and certain films that we make, they will ban. If you don’t want to get banned, you have to make other films like Race ... which is fair enough because certain political issues are very sensitive between the two countries,” he explained.
“The film is about terrorism and there might be people in Pakistan who are anti-India. It’s [the film is] not anti-Pakistan, but that’s [the ban’s] okay. Even Agent Vinod wasn’t anti-Pakistan ... [and] that got banned,” he said.
Is Pakistan an important market for Indian films?
“You can make a fair amount of money from that market, so it’s bit of a shame. It’s not important in terms of ... it doesn’t dictate what kind of movies we make,” he said.
Phantom, which also stars Katrina Kaif, will release in the UAE on August 27.
