(Left) Shahnawaz Pradhan in a still from Phantom. (Right) File photo of Hafiz Saeed. Image courtesy: AFP
Actor Shahnawaz Pradhan, who portrays Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed in
Phantom, is being kept underground for security reasons. (Also Read:
Phantom Banned in Pakistan on Hafiz Saeed's Plea)
The Kabir Khan-directed film, which also features actors Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif, has been banned in Pakistan by the Lahore high court after a petition was filed by Hafiz Saeed who is accused of masterminding the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Therefore the makers of the film have taken precautionary measures and are keeping Shahnawaz Pradhan underground.
"The security of all our actors is extremely important for us and now that his identity is revealed, there are precautionary measures being taken," the film's spokesperson said in a statement.
Phantom is an adaptation of S Hussain Zaidi's novel
Mumbai Avengers. It is set five years after the attacks, when a retired army officer spearheads a covert mission to seek out and kill the terror masterminds.
The film will release on Friday.