LONDON: Last night’s BBC Global featured veteran actor Shaan Shahid ahead the release of his upcoming movie ‘Arth-The Destination’. His quick chat with anchor Geeta Krishna-Murthy touched upon the Pakistan film industry, Bollywood and on current India Pakistan political situation.
Shaan who has always been outspoken on the exchange of artists between India and Pakistan said, “There’s a lot to do in Pakistan right now, as far as film and music are concerned. I think I’m needed more in Pakistan than in India. Because in India, you have great, great actors who are churning out good films. And if I opt to work in India, then who would do anything in Pakistan?”
He went on to add, “There is a lot of room. We can come up with a lot of talent in Pakistan, we can make a lot of films here. We wouldn’t cast Shah Rukh Khan in one of our films because his films would come out in Pakistan anyway. By the end of the day, if all the Indian celebrities worked in Hollywood, what would happen to the Bollywood industry?”
However, at the same time, Shaan felt that there is a dire need for a cultural exchange to take place between the two countries so that political tensions can be eased. He went on to say that both nations share the same language, culture and colours and its high-time bridges should be built.
Arth is a remake of a Bollywood film by Mahesh Bhatt. However, Shaan said that while the story has been borrowed, the screenplay has been “played around with and a different angle has been brought out.”
Arth – The Destination is expected to release on December 21, 2017. The movie also stars Humaima Malick, Mohib Mirza and Uzma Hassan.
