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Raees director Rahul Dholakia is talking about India's ban on Pakistani actors again

Raees director Rahul Dholakia is talking about India's ban on Pakistani actors again

He said that India should learn from the example of a Norwegian film about a Pakistani girl that stars Indian actors
05 Sep, 2018

As entries pour in from around the world for the 91st Academy Awards' Best Film In A Foreign Language category, it's been revealed that Norway has put forward Pakistani-Norwegian filmmaker Iram Haq's What Will People Say as their submission.

Raees director Rahul Dholakia on Twitter celebrated the film as an example of cinema transcending borders, pointing out that the Norwegian film tells the story of a Pakistani teenager and stars Indian actors.

He lamented that borders affected cultural collaboration in India. Case in point: his very own Raees that starred Mahira Khan. While Khan was able to act in the film, she was kept from participating in the film's promotions. Additionally, Raees was banned in Pakistan because the censor board believe that the film "undermines Islam, and a specific religious sect, [while also] portraying Muslims as criminals, wanted persons and terrorists."

Read more: India has wronged Mahira Khan, says Rahul Dholakia

What Will People Say is the story of 16-year-old who is forced to uproot her life from Norway and settle down in her parents' homeland Pakistan. Indian actors Adil Hussain and Sheeba Chaddha play her father and aunt respectively. This is the second film from Iram Haq to be sent to the Oscars from Norway.

Neither Pakistan nor India has announced its submission to the 91st Academy Awards.

Comments

aamchi mumbai Sep 05, 2018 12:50pm
Well its his view. Majority of the Indians do not agree with him. We do not need pakistani actors here.
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RJM Sep 05, 2018 02:52pm
Why go to India? Work to your hearts content in Pakistan. If at all go to Hollywood.
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Asif A. Shah Sep 05, 2018 03:10pm
There is an unbelievable bigotry of various kinds in India and Pakistan. The movie industry should be allowed to play a positive role in bringing the people of India and Pakistan together.
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Gopal Patel Sep 05, 2018 05:14pm
A Norwegian film is not a Pakistani film. U are confused Dholakia .
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Kev Bacon Sep 05, 2018 06:15pm
His ignorance is loudly visible - it's a Norway film - not Pakistani!
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R Yegya Narayanan Sep 05, 2018 06:50pm
Film making maybe a business for him. But for Indians, it is a question of life. Why should we allow Pakistani actors or sportsmen or writers to enjoy Indian hospitality when these people rarely raise their voice in support of India? For them, what matters is the money they earn from India rather than the lives of Indians. Let them show that they care for Indians. Then everything will fall in place.
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N abidai Sep 06, 2018 12:49am
Art has no borders, however, BW has poltical powers that are anti Pakistani, so, they banned pak artists, plus, BW has lots of Indian artists that needs work,thus,their insecurities! Pak film industries has a more opened mind,they even hired Indian artists to work in their film,this is good, I wish well to emerging pak film industry,keep up the good work!
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Shahzad Sep 06, 2018 01:36am
Its such double standards by majority of Indians. They're happily and proudly working in all over west and middle east but won't accept Pakistani actors to work in Bollywood. Hypocrites.
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