Pakistani artists have been crossing the border to work in the film or music industry in the past and many have achieved levels of success that might have been impossible to attain in Pakistan. More recently we however, have seen an increasing number of Pakistani actors moving to India for work.
Some of those who have made a mark in the Indian Cinema Industry include Ali Zafar, Fawad Khan and Jawed Sheikh, for their talent and Veena Malik and Meera, for the other reasons.
Despite the success of these actors, they have recently been accused of working in India without a valid visa and work permit. According to Indian magazine Mid Day, foreign artistes who are working in India have to now register under Cintaa to begin or continue their work in Bollywood.
Cintaa (Cine and Television Artistes Association of India), has indicted actors like Ali Zafar for not completing the required visa formalities. President Chauhan of the Association claims that post 2013, the actor has been visiting and working in India using a visitor’s visa. Ali Zafar, on the other hand, claims that his office has fulfilled all the requirements and filed all necessary documentation when Cintaa emailed him with their concerns.
If the issue is not resolved soon, Cintaa, along with the largest political party of India, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) is threatening to block the release of the much awaited Yash Raj production, Kill Dil, starring Ali Zafar, Govinda and Ranveer Singh.
The political party has a problem in general with all Pakistani actors working in India and they state that India has enough talent and does not need Pakistani artists to work. The issue seems like its stemming from the brewing tension at the Indo-Pak border.
As a response, veteran actor, Jawed Sheikh says, “I admit that certain extremist groups often create unrest against Pakistani artistes who are working there, but we have always been welcomed by the Indian artiste community. We are artistes and we should follow Malala Yousafzai’s example and talk about peace and not let the tension at the Line of Control affect the realm of entertainment.”
Many Indian artists have been increasingly praising the work of Pakistani actors and Pakistani dramas (aired in India) so much so that they prefer them over their own movies and dramas, this might be yet another reason for the sudden hostility. The result of the accusations and the threatened protests by BJP is yet to be seen but we sincerely hope that our talent is credited where it is due.
