Dharamshala: As someone who has worked in Pakistani films including Khuda Kay Liye and Bhaag Zinda, Naseeruddin Shah feels the political uproar over the producers casting Pakistani actors during the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil was unnecessary and uncalled for.
“It was absolutely unnecessary and uncalled for - and the sad part is that if you say this your patriotism is immediately questioned”, he said.
In the wake of September 28 Uri attack, MNS had asked Pakistani artistes like Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan to leave India. The rising tensions between both the countries has had a hard impact on the film industry.
Addressing this issue while interacting with CNN News18’s entertainment editor Rajeev Masand at the Dharamshala International Film Festival, Shah even commented on Karan Johar’s video message wherein Johar expressed his love for India and saluted the Indian army for their valour and further said that he won’t work with Pakistani artistes in future.
“The fact is there was another young Pakistani actor in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil which nobody knows about - no fuss was made about him. The fuss was only made about the guy who is well-known and it was craven of Karan Johar to submit like that when the government had offered him full support – and I’m so glad that Army refused the extortion money”, he said.
He further stressed that creative arts shouldn’t be confused with politics. “Our animosity and hatred is not for the people of Pakistan - it’s for their policies, for their government, for their damn army. It’s for the fact that our soldiers get killed. We don’t hate the people of Pakistan and people of Pakistan don’t hate the people of India either. So, what is about this kind of sentiment being drunk up in the country? It does no one any good, I believe”.
“And how stupid would one be to question the army’s motive – should it not be taken for granted that of course we’re behind our army? They’re protecting us. Why does one have to say this all the time?” he added.
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