Pakistani actress Mehwish Hayat slams Bollywood again
The Pakistani star has accused the Hindi film industry and Alia Bhatt of plagiarism
Dubai: Pakistani actress Mehwish Hayat, who recently criticised Bollywood for demonising her countrymen in their films, has levelled another grave charge against the Hindi film industry: plagiarism.
She has accused acclaimed Indian actress Alia Bhatt and singer The Doorbeen (the Lamborghini hit maker) of stealing their latest hit ‘Prada’ from Pakistan.
Mehwish Hayat, in a WhatsApp response, told Gulf News: "I think that there is nothing wrong in telling the truth. If that offends, so be it. I have been talking about Bollywood’s representation of Pakistan for some time. All I pointed out was the double standards."
Bhatt, who features prominently in the swanky chart-topper, plays a prominent part in the solo hit.
“I find this strange. On one hand Bollywood vilifies Pakistan at every opportunity they get. On the other hand, they continue to steal our songs without so much as an acknowledgment,” tweeted Hayat on August 25, attaching a news article that claimed Bhatt’s song was similar to Pakistani pop group Vital Signs’ 1990 hit Goray Rung Ka Zamana.
A day before, she also hit out at Shah Rukh Khan’s latest web series production ‘Bard Of Blood’, an espionage thriller about Indian intelligence agents in Pakistan. She hit out at Khan, who’s one of the producers of the show, for being jingoistic and urged him to be patriotic, but not at the expense of vilifying Pakistan.
“This just vindicates what I have been saying for so long. Another week and yet another anti-Pakistan project. Now can we wake up, smell the coffee & see Bollywood’s agenda for what it is,” said Hayat.
On August 14, Hayat, in an email to Gulf News, re-iterated that she will continue to use her voice for doing greater good.
“Art without social conscience is gutless and soulless. It is through entertainment that we can make the greatest change in our society,” said Hayat in an exclusive email interview. Despite receiving polarizing reactions, Hayat said she will continue to speak her mind.
“I am going to be the first to admit that like any other country, Pakistan is not without its faults. All I ask is that any portrayal be fair and representative – we are not all bad, we do have a lot of positives that are always being overlooked. What I am saying is that don’t be in a rush to demonise us all the time, we are complex nation please make an effort to reflect those complexities,” said Hayat over that e-mail two weeks ago.