"Art and culture should never come in between."
An Indian extremist group, the Nav Nirman Sena (MNS), has threatened to obstruct the release of The Legend of Maula Jatt (2022) in India.
The film, which featured Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, was set to hit Indian cinemas on October 2, 2024.
Nav Nirman Sena leader Ameya Kopekar condemned the decision by an Indian film company to release the movie. He labelled it as a provocative act.
He went so far as to call Indian fans of Fawad Khan “traitors”, reflecting the group’s firm stance against Pakistani films and actors.
Kopekar indicated that the group would follow directives from Raj Thackeray.
Thackeray openly demanded that The Legend of Maula Jatt be banned from Indian cinemas.
This is not the first time Pakistani actors faced controversy in recent times.
Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan were ordered to halt their work on Bollywood projects.
While some in the Indian film industry supported this ban, others advocated for the inclusion of Pakistani talent.
Notably, Pahlaj Nihalani, the Chief of the Indian Central Board of Film Certification, voiced concerns.
He claimed that banning Pakistani actors could lead to significant losses for Indian cinema.
Nihalani pointed out that prominent filmmakers like Karan Johar have previously collaborated with Pakistani artists.
He argued that the focus should have been on fostering dialogue between India and Pakistan rather than excluding artists based on nationality.
Nihalani emphasised that visa approvals were the government’s decision and that art should transcend political division.
He said: “Why are we talking about the artists? Instead, we should talk about India and Pakistan.
“To give a visa to any Pakistani is the sole decision of the government.
“We as producers and actors, are saying they are not terrorists and that art and culture should never come in between.”
Salman Khan and Mahesh Bhatt also showed support for Pakistani artists.
They criticised the demands from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leaders.
The filmmakers asserted that artists should not be penalised due to political tensions.
In 2021, Mahira Khan opened up on the ban.
She said: “A lot of the other series were offered to me, and at that time, I don’t know if anybody will understand when I say this, I was scared.
“I was genuinely just scared. It wasn’t about what people said, I was just like, ‘I don’t know if I want to go there’.
“And there was some content which was amazing, and I didn’t want to miss out on it.”
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