Anurag Kashyap and Alia Bhatt expressed support for Karan Johar's film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.
Highlights
- Will not screen films with Pak actors, say cinema owners
- Hit for Karan Johar's 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'; it stars Pak actor Fawad Khan
- Anurag Kashyap condemns move, targets PM Modi
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and actor Alia Bhatt have expressed support for the release of the film
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil which was caught in a new controversy after
a group of nearly 450 cinema owners announced it would not screen films with Pakistani actors in four states.
The Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India or COEAI recently said it won't release films starring actors from Pakistan, in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa.
The move has led to an uncertainty on the release of Karan Johar's
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, as it features Pakistani star Fawad Khan. The movie, also starring Aishwarya Rai, Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma, is slated to hit the theatres on October 28.
Taking to Twitter, Mr Kashyap slammed the association, writing:Expressing his outrage, he also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Lahore last year and demanded an apology. He pointed out that Karan Johar was shooting the film at the time PM Modi was being hosted by his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif.
The BJP condemned the comment. BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said, "It is a political comment. It is regrettable that he has equated foreign policy to the funding of a feature film."
Meanwhile, Alia Bhatt said she felt it is unfair to stall the release of a film.
"On a personal level I found the film very beautiful and I've seen bits of it. It is an emotional film. On the other level, as a proud resident of this country and as a privileged member of the industry, I feel whatever is happening with the film at this point is unfair," she said.
"Because when the film was shot, a year ago, the climate was nice. The current climate I know how it is, but it was good back then," she told reporters in Mumbai last night.
Actress Swara Bhaskar also slammed the call to ban the film."Instead of banning and boycotting films, I wonder how many self-proclaimed patriots make any real contribution benefiting our soldiers?" she said, rallying behind Mr Johar and wishing him all the best for the film.