As tension between India and Pakistan continues to make headlines, the fate of Karan Johar’s upcoming release, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, hangs in the balance.
As tension between India and Pakistan continues to make headlines, the fate of Karan Johar’s upcoming release, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, hangs in the balance.
After Karan Johar made a statement defending Pakistani artists, close to 100 members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) protested outside Johar’s office in Mumbai on Tuesday as a consequence. Though security has been deployed, the story isn’t dying down anytime soon.
Meanwhile, as the film’s cast remains mum on the issue, some stories suggest that Salman Khan reached out to Raj Thackeray in a bid to help out Karan Johar. The story has been denied by MNS cinema wing chief Amey Khopkar who is still insisting that Johar cut out portions of the film featuring one Fawad Khan. His xenophobic diatribe also included physical threats to actors.
The issue has also divided players in Bollywood. Singer Abhijeet has been spewing venom, not just against Pakistani actors but also against those in India who support cross-border collaborations. Veteran Anupem Kher, meanwhile, has asked Pakistani artists to condemn the Uri attack.
Others like Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan have come out in support of cross-border collaborations. While SRK believes that artists should not be attacked over political matters, Saif Ali Khan believes talent is beyond borders.
“The world is open to our film industry and our film industry is open to talents from around the world especially cross border,” Saif told Indian Express. “We are artists who talk about love and peace.”
