Bollywood beauty Katrina Kaif and megastar Saif Ali Khan are battling against all odds for the release of their film Phantom in Pakistan after facing major backlash for content-related issues.
When Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking a ban on Phantom‘s release in Pakistan due to “filthy propaganda” against our country, the two actors jumped to its rescue.
“It is logical that Pakistan will have problems with this film. A person is doing wrong and the country is not doing wrong. One of the villains in the film may be from Pakistan but that doesn’t mean Pakistan is a villainous country,” said Katrina, NDTV reported.
Katrina presented director Kabir Khan’s take on the film and tried to explain it through his eyes.
“He (Kabir) feels that the country has suffered and not that the country is bad. There is a lot of conflict and upheaval between the two countries so there will be stories on it,” she said.
She added that although the film does contain fictional matter regarding the 26/11 incident, it is predominantly based on facts.
She said: “There is a very significant portrayal of Pakistan in the film, about someone who is in Pakistan. I think we are not here to preach. We are here to make an amazing story. But it has got its facts and base in the right place.”
While she did admit that initially she was doubtful about doing the film, Kabir’s passion and the message behind the film pushed her to say yes.
“The moment I heard the story, I told Kabir, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’. But he was passionate about the story. It has an important message and beyond that, it is a fiction film. It is an exciting thriller,” said the actress.
Phantom, scheduled to release on Aug 28, is a film which deals with the aftermath of 26/11 attacks in Mumbai and global terrorism.
