Is the Indian film industry biased towards Pakistani artists?

LAHORE: The Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ Association (IMPPA) has upheld its ban on Pakistani artists performing in India, a decision which shows a certain degree of hate and bias against Pakistani artists in the Indian entertainment industry.

Responding to IMPPA’s decision, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said, “It is unfortunate that art and cinema, which brings people together by acting as cultural bridges, are being held hostage by forces of hate and xenophobia.”

According to an online news portal, Faisal said, “It is unfortunate that this decision follows several other actions, including non-issuance of visas to Pakistani pilgrims, refusal to allow participation of Sikhs and Katas Raj pilgrims in their religious events, and cancellation of sports matches underscores the growing intolerance and bias prevalent in India.”

On the other hand, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) also released a press release calling for a complete ban on Pakistani artistes from performing in India. The organisation consists of 50,000 film industry workers.

Meanwhile, a video clip uploaded on the website of The New Indian Express showed that Indian artists were not interested in responding to the Indian media queries about art relations between the two neighbouring countries.

While talking to Pakistan Today, Adnan Siddique, a well-known Pakistani actor who had worked in the Hollywood, Lollywood and Bollywood film industries, said, “Until and unless an Indian court or any other competent authority gives an official statement on this issue, then this matter does not hold any value for me. We go to India for professional commitments on their demand, and in the process, we always prove ourselves.”

Commenting on the issue, famous Pakistani film director Syed Noor said, “The Indians can exercise their right to ban anything that does not suit them.” He also said that after working in Indian films, our artists demanded the same money from us, which was unfair as our industry was still in the growing stage.

“We need to develop our own institutions and we do not need Bollywood’s shelter to run our own film industry,” he added. Noor also said that we need proper committees that would work towards improving the standards of Pakistan’s film industry.

A few days back, Lollywood star Shan Shahid called for banning all Indian content in Pakistan. His demand was also supported by Syed Noor.

Television artist Adnan Jilani said, “I am clueless as to why some elements within India are spreading hate against Pakistani artists.” He also said that our film industry was not dependent on India.

It is important to mention here that Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was recently targeted by the Indian singer-turned-Union Minister Babul Supriyo.

Supriyo had recently said in a statement, “Rahat’s voice in the song of the film ‘Welcome to New York’ must be removed and dubbed by someone from our country, as it is hard to understand why India feels the need or desire to cross the border for talent.”

In response to Supriyo’s statement, Rahat said in a tweet shared on the same day that music had no boundaries. He also thanked everyone for showing love and support for his songs.