Amid tension between India and Pakistan over last month’s Uri attack, some people opened up on social media are asking to ban Pakistani actors from Indian cinema as a reaction to the 19 soldiers killed by Pakistani militants. Since then many Bollywood actors have agreed and rejected this feeling to ban Pakistani actors.
Days before Karan Johar’s film “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” was to be released, the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India has requested members in three states not to screen films with Pakistani actors. While the film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Aishwariya Rai and Anushka Sharma–it also stars Pakistan’s Fawad Khan, who has a huge fan base in India.
COEAI president Nitin Datar said after a meeting with the members: “It was decided that keeping in mind the patriotic feelings and national interest, we have requested all member exhibitors to refrain from screening movies which have involvement of any Pakistani artiste, technician, director or music director.
Pakistani theatre owners decided to stop screening Indian films in retaliation to a producer body’s resolution banning Pakistanis from working in Indian films.
While “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” was to hit the screens on October 28, 2016, the COEAI decision has cast doubts on this probability.
