LOS ANGELES:
Variety
The release of Karan Johar’s “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” will go ahead this week (Oct 28,) during the Diwali holiday, following a high-level political compromise. The film is co-produced by Johar’s Dharma Productions with Fox Star Studios India.
Starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Anushka Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor, the film’s release was opposed by the political party Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) because of the presence of Pakistani star Fawad Khan in the cast. Tensions between India and Pakistan have been high in recent weeks after a terrorist attack in Kashmir left several Indian soldiers dead. India retaliated with military strikes.
The Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association last month called on its members to stop working with Pakistani talent and technicians. In retaliation, Pakistani cinema chains stopped screening Indian content, followed by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority imposing a blanket ban on Indian film, TV and music.
Johar issued an apology via social media and promised not to use any Pakistani talent in future. On Saturday, prominent producers including Fox’s Vijay Singh, Disney’s Siddharth Roy Kapur and Vishesh Films’ Mukesh Bhatt met MNS chief Raj Thackeray along with Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister of the state of Maharashtra of which Mumbai is the capital. (RTRS)