The MNS' demand that Pakistani artists leave India started quite a debate on news channels and Twitter.
On Friday, the MNS found its nationalist card as it demanded that all Pakistani artistes leave India within 48 hours or else they’d stall the shooting of their movies. While the Mumbai police said that it’d provide protection to all foreign nationals on a legal visa, it did lead to a debate on major news channels about the presence of Pakistani artistes in India while the nation grapples with issues of cross-border terrorism. The Indo-Pak relationship hit an all-time low after the Uri attack and has seen the two nations sniping at each other at the United Nations General Assembly. A look at the debates across various news channels:
What journalists said about the prospective ban
Other people's reactions:
True story
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Hard decisions were made.
MNS asks Pakistani artists to leave, Bollywood hits back
The party wrote an open letter to Bollywood producers and production houses, asking them why they need to rope in actors from the neighbouring country when enough talent is available in India. Actors like Mahira Khan (featuring in Shah Rukh Khan- starrer 'Raees') and "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" star Fawad are hijacking the opportunities of Indian artistes, MNS General Secretary Shalini Thackeray told a press conference.
In Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", slated to release next month, Fawad is in a supporting role, while Mahira essays the lead role opposite SRK in "Raees", which will mark her Bollywood debut. Mumbai Police, however, assured the actors they need not worry as they will be given protection. "They (Pakistanis) don't give our people any respect in their country. Pakistani artists don't earn anything in their country but in India they get name, fame and money. After all this, their government funds terror activities in India, this is completely unacceptable," Thackeray said.
Thackeray, along with President of the party's cinema wing, Amay Khopkar, released copies of the open letter to the media. The letter questions Indian producers' "love" for Pakistani artistes. "In a country of 1.25 billion people, where lakhs and crores struggle for an opportunity to be launched in movies, why you have so much affection for the Pakistani artistes? Do you want to say that our actors do not have requisite talent? This is akin to insulting our country," the letter read.
Thackeray lambasted the NDA government for not dealing with Pakistan in a "stern" manner. Speaking to PTI, she said, "The current government has been only giving assurances that they will deal sternly with Pakistan, but unfortunately nothing has happened so far." "All foreign nationals who land in the country with valid documents issued by Government of India and the Government of Maharashtra need not worry," Joint Commissioner of Police (law and order) Deven Bharti said. Johar's Dharma Productions, which has produced "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", said it has to understand the issue before commenting on it.
"We have not come across anything yet. If there is an issue, we need to understand the matter first, so we cannot comment anything," an official from Dharma Productions said. The calls and messages to the makers of "Raees" did not elicit any response. Heavily armed militants stormed the headquarters of the Army in North Kashmir's Uri town in the wee hours of September 18, killing 18 jawans and injuring 19 other personnel in the terror strike in which four ultras were neutralised.
Bollywood reactions
Taking a jibe at MNS, director Hansal Mehta tweeted, "MNS for next central govt. In one master stroke they have solved the India Pakistan problem. After all it is artistes who provoke attacks."
Vikram Bhatt said India should push for declaring Pakistan as a terrorist state than involving actors into the situation because that will "trivialise" the issue.
"We should concentrate on making sure that Pakistan is declared a terrorist state. That should be our effort. This (asking Pak actors to leave) is like trivialising the issue-- whether artists or cricket should be allowed nor not...
"How does that matter? What matters is that people are dying, we have been constantly suffering... And the only thing we do is ban artists!" he said.
When asked if he thinks Pakistani artistes, working here, should take a stand on the Uri attack, Bhatt said, "I expect them to take a stand but can they do that? They are actors, creative people, not activists.
"I don't think they can go back if they are going to talk against the terrorist outfits in Pakistan. They would surely fear for their lives, might as well become Indian citizens then. I think they would really fear for their safety." Film critic Mayank Shekhar said culture is apolitical and when government of India has given permission to Pakistani actors to work here, any other political outfit should not "spread fear" among people.
"Something which is cultural is by nature apolitical. But if it does become political as in this particular case, then that is the political decision that the authorities need to take. It can't be any particular outfit deciding to issue a diktat and everyone living under the fear of what they would do or would not do," he told a news channel.
With inputs from agencies
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