After the dastardly Uri attack in 2016, Pakistani artists were banned from working in Bollywood. Celebrities like Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan faced much backlash as they had worked with Indian filmmakers around the same time. Now, in an interview with a portal, Pakistani actress Sanam Saeed spoke about the portrayal of Muslims in Indian films and how they are often 'highlighted as the enemy'.
She told in the interview, "Of course, we always make fun of how Muslims are portrayed in Indian films with the kajal and the namaz cap and the green in the background somewhere to show that this is a Muslim person or a Muslim community. And of course, I mean it gets too political but they have always been highlighted as the enemy. I don't think I have seen any projects where the two nations are friends and collaborating together, unlike, in reality where collaborations are happening at every level."
Sanam further added that Fawad and Mahira got the brunt of the ban on Pakistani artists post the Uri attack. "And when the ban happened suddenly, it was a bit of a rude awakening, a shock, confusion. Why mix politics with art and culture and all of that? Tragic, but also, like, I mean we got to I guess we all got over it. It is what it is. You can't fight it...Fawad Khan and Mahira really got the brunt of it. So, I'm sure that they are nervous and scared because of how they were treated. It's definitely a confusing place to be in when one second you are like here and the next second you are kind of just completely let go of. So I can totally understand why Mahira would be nervous to take that step again because it was a tough exit for them," she shared.
Recently, Fawad's film The Legend of Maula Jatt was scheduled to release in India. However, the government refused to give permission.
(Source: Brut)
