Paresh Rawal wants to work in Pakistani films and TV shows

Bollywood actor and Lok Sabha lawmaker Paresh Rawal, who recently came under fire for his controversial tweets against writer Arundhati Roy, has taken a soft stance on Pak-India tensions.

Talking about professional opportunities on this side of the border, he said, “Yes, I would love to work in Pakistani films and shows. I love all Pakistani TV serials like Humsafar, the way they act, the story, the writing, the language...it’s all good. I feel our shows are boring.".

It turns out that Rawal has been a long-time fan of Pakistan dramas. In a 2014 interview before the release of his film Raja Natwarlal, he ranked some Bollywood films as inferior to Pakistani shows: "“Forget Hollywood, we cannot even compare our films to Pakistani shows. They are far more superior to what we produce here. We need to make some more smart films where we don't take our audience for granted and think that they will not understand what we want to convey."

While he is against the idea of a ban on Pak-India cultural exchange, he admits that the times may not allow it to happen at times.

“I believe that artistes and cricketers don’t come and throw bombs. They are not terrorists, rather they bridge the gap between the two countries. But when the mood is not good why rake up issues at that time? It is better to stay with your country,” he says.

Does he think things are looking up, though?

“There should be no ban on anyone or anything. Even in Hindi Medium there was a Pakistani actress but nothing happened as the mood is good in the country,” he says.