Mishaps of the Indo-Pak border has left us wounded many times, but this time it involved our loved film industry in an unprecedented manner. Many questions have been raised and harsh curb on film releases have been put, suddenly section of people have immensely turned hostile towards actors of cross border. The big question which troubled and made us really think was “Is asking Pakistani actors pack their bags and just go out of a country is justified?” Lengthy debates, questioning, and troubled entertainment industry was clear sight if we look about a time 40 days back. Was that a hard time of the industry and their plight was just ignored? This event brought many weighty questions from a larger perspective.
Take for instance veteran director Mahesh Bhatt has been asked significant questions on national debate. And tough questions have been answered by him with full confidence and wit. When asked about why shouldn’t Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil be put on hold, his answer was so easy saying ‘Karan Johar is Indian director and banning his movie release is going to effect the Indian film industry and not Pakistan in any way.’ When asked about the presence of Pakistani actor in ADHM he puts it as ‘what good would banning a movie for a person do, who has already made his money and done his work.’ How simple and yet impressive! Is not it? Coming out on public platform and supporting the fact, that Pakistani actors should condemn the Uri attack was a great stand taken by him
From cowards to traitors to gullible to moral hypocrites what not the entertainment industry’s bigwigs were labelled as. Statements were moulded and doctored in best possible manner, to be fed as news to gossip-mongers and to media to make bucks. We were not able to do much except some of us took social media by storm, social media has provided us with the impotency to sit back, and follow the “clicktivism culture” anyway (term use to describe a phenomena in which people do not take any practical step and just comment on social media platforms)
Our bhaijan Salman Khan too was targeted being called as double standard when in his statement, he differentiated artists from terrorists. The big question here arrives ‘To what extent social media is being misused in unfairly painting celebrities as anti-nationals?’ Has it become fashion, labelling every intellectual or famous personality as anti-national on a national issue where both sides of the subject is not talked about? Well in hindsight, the media actually goes with questions to celebs with intention of making them talk on controversial matters to add one to the zeros.
Pakistani actors’ silence on the matter was not justified. Off course, people who can condemn Paris and other attacks can condemn attacks on Indian soil, especially when this country is giving them respect, adulation, and wealth. Why can’t they condemn terrorist attacks despite getting bread and butter from this land, even Indians did cry with Pakistan after the Peshawar massacre. Some call it double standards, some call it moral hypocrisy and some are having just question mark and bewildered looks. But the crux is that, every human should consider humanity above any boundary man has made and should join human race to stand against inhuman acts of any type, its a shame that we carry on with our lives as issues get cold. Art is not just a thing to be displayed and artists do have a responsibility, otherwise art and circus today, would have been synonymous. In the end our heart is happy to settle, as we come to know Mahira Khan, Aatif Aslam and Ali Zafar have finally broke their silence anyway.
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