Film gets caught up in India-Pakistan tensions
Pakistani actor’s presence in Indian film sparks outrage
Without a doubt, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is one of Bollywood’s most anticipated films of the year. On screens in Toronto this Diwali weekend, the film is directed by Karan Johar, famous for making melodramatic romances featuring pretty people in designer wear facing Bollywood’s version of First World Problems.
Featuring some of Bollywood’s bestknown stars, Aishwarya Rai, Anushka Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor, the movie is said to deal with friendship, heartbreak and love. The title borrows from a famous Bollywood song: Ae dil hai mushkil jeena yahan, zara hatke, zara bach ke, ye hai Bombay meri jaan (Oh my heart, it’s a tough life, watch your step, this is Bombay, my dear).
Until a few days ago, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil was in a tough spot of its own. The film also stars Pakistani star Fawad Khan, a critically acclaimed dreamboat actor who has been setting the hearts of many Indian women and men aflutter.
However, after an attack by militants last month that saw 17 Indian soldiers killed in an early morning raid on an army camp in Uri, Kashmir, near the disputed border with Pakistan, Indian right-wing nationalists called for a ban on Pakistani artists, and threatened to disrupt screenings of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.
While the cricket pitch has long been seen as a proxy ground for India and Pakistan to carry out their historic animosity, the arts have often played a role of peaceful ambassador, with Pakistani people seeking out Bollywood movies, and Indian audiences listening to a range of popular music and watching TV dramas from Pakistan. These cultural exchanges were a way to understand the people across the border, says Arshad Khan, filmmaker and artistic director of the annual Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival held in Mississauga.
“I remember going to Lahore in the 1980s to my grandparents’ house and you could catch the Indian TV channel Doordarshan on the antenna,” says Arshad, whose family moved to Canada from Pakistan in 1991.
“We used to all huddle around the television and watch . . . And when VHS came, there were all these fantastic movies. India no longer was this big existential threat. It helped give us a better understanding of India. Pakistanis could not dehumanize Indians the same way.
“Same thing happened when Pakistani (TV) dramas started going over to India. They could see that we are really the same people.”
The strident calls for banning Pakistani artists from working in India represent a new rhetoric for nationalism in India, whereby Fox News-style TV anchor Arnab Goswami organizes a panel debate on #PakArtistsBanned on The Newshour Show and harangues guests who do not share his world view. Meanwhile, disability activist and wheelchair user Salil Cha- turvedi was recently assaulted for not standing up when the Indian national anthem was played before the screening of a movie at a theatre in Goa.
The issue has divided the Bollywood film fraternity, with actors such as Ajay Devgn telling Indian news outlets just a week ago that he would not work with Pakistani artists, calling the ban of Pakistani artists an act of solidarity with the Indian army.
In a video statement released last week, Johar made a plea to let his movie screen. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil was made at a time when relations between the two countries were not strained, he said, adding that “going forward, I would like to say that, of course, I will not engage talent from the neighbouring country given the circumstance.”
For Arshad, that statement was a huge disappointment. He had initially tweeted out his support to Johar, saying that even if his film doesn’t release in India, Canada and the rest of the world would support it.
Angie Rehal was following the controversy around the film because she’s a “huge fan of Karan Johar and his weepy films.”
“I hope at least in the diaspora, people don’t care about these things and appreciate each other regardless of their background or faith — Hindu, Muslim or Sikh.” ANGIE REHAL KARAN JOHAR FILM FAN
“I read some statement he made about not using Pakistani actors in the future, which kind of surprised me. But at the end of the day, I guess they’re more worried about the dollars, especially on opening weekend,” says Rehal, a paralegal.
Regardless, she will go to get local theatre in Mississauga to watch the movie because it’s three hours of popcorn entertainment and a Karan Johar extravaganza to boot.
“I hope at least in the diaspora, people don’t care about these things and appreciate each other regardless of their background or faith — Hindu, Muslim or Sikh.”
Earlier this week, a deal was brokered between the right-wing nationalist group Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and The Film and Television Producers Guild of India.
The deal allows for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil to release in India, after a promise was made that the guild will “not work with any Pakistani artist in the future.”
As well, Johar has agreed to “contribute 50 millions rupees ($747,220 U.S.) to the Indian army as penance for using a Pakistani actor.”
As far as Arshad is concerned, the controversy will eventually blow over.
“It cannot last. It cannot be allowed to last . . . There’s no reason at all to be demonizing Pakistani artists, or regular Pakistanis. To cave into hate is moronic.”